Death of well-known Enniscorthy publican

By Dan Walsh

The death has taken place of John Doyle, (87), of Doyle’s Bar, The Duffry, Enniscorthy, who was a well-known member of the Licensed Vintners’ Association.

John grew up in the famed licensed premises of his parents, Joe and Brigid Doyle, and worked at Enniscorthy Post Office for many years, but when his father passed away John and his sister Mary ran the pub and on reaching retirement John concentrated fully on running of the popular meeting place for generations of customers.

JOHN DOYLE

There was always a strong family and customer relationship within the premises where sports and family celebrations were occurring on a regular basis. Strangely, it was always referred to locally as ‘Joe Doyles’.

FAMILY NOTICE. Beloved husband of Ann, dearly loved and loving father of the late Joseph and cherished brother of Bessie, Anne, Mary, Patrick and the late Breda. Sadly missed by his loving wife, brother, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. May he Rest in Peace

Reposing at Browne’s Funeral Home, Enniscorthy today (Monday) from 7 o’ clock to 9 o’ clock for family and friends. Removal from Browne’s Funeral Home on Tuesday morning to St. Aidan’s Cathedral arriving for Funeral Mass at 10 o’ clock. Burial afterwards in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Oylegate winner at Cork races

By Dan Walsh

A small Wexford contingent descended on Ballindenisk, Co. Cork for this afternoon’s point-to-point races but there was a Wexford trained winner as first timer Joe’s Turn took up the running before two fences out and lead the field home in division two of the maiden race for six year olds plus.

Point-to-point action (File Picture)

Ridden by Harley Dunne, Blackwater, Joe’s Turn was in control from two obstacles out and ran on gamely for a New Year’s victory by three lengths success for Richie Rath whose stables are located at Ballybawn, Screen.

A bay gelding by Jet Away out of Mileshogue Queen, Joe’s Turn is bred and owned by Laurence O’Brien, Oylegate. So a true Wexford victory for the competitive team.

Craanford mother dies in Meath crash

By Dan Walsh

One of the three people killed in a horror head-on road traffic collision on the N52 beside the M3 Motorway in Kells, Co. Meath on New Year’s Eve at around 4.25pm has been named as Julieanne Kehoe, a native of Craanford, near Gorey.

JULIEANNE KEHOE

Ms Kehoe, a mother of three in her mid-20s, who was due to get married this year was travelling to Cavan where she is building a house.

Three children who were travelling in her car – a 12 year old boy and two baby girls – were taken to hospital where the boy’s condition is said to be ‘serious’ and the girls injuries were described as ‘not life-threatening’.

Tributes are pouring in as the tragic news is breaking in North Wexford where Julieanne is fondly remembered and her families are well-known and respected. Cllr Donal Kenny said; “She was a great mother. It is an unspeakable tragedy. We are hoping and praying the kids will be okay.”

Gardaí are appealing to witnesses, particularly any road users who were travelling in the area at the time and who may have camera footage, including dashcam, to contact Kells Garda Station on 046 9280820 the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

5,000 lose water supply

By Dan Walsh

About 5,000 customers were without a water supply this afternoon caused by a power outage at the Killmallock Water Treatment Plant on the River Sow.

Districts affected included Ballymurn, Glenbrien, Curracloe, Oylegate, Crossabeg, Oulart and The Ballagh. The matter has been resolved.

In North Wexford there will be a water outage affecting Ballymoney and Tara Hill tomorrow (Sunday) as Wexford County Council staff repair a burst watermain at Ballymoney close to the booster pump station.

Wexford winners at Cork

By Dan Walsh

The final point-to-point fixture of 2021 took place at Dromahane, Co. Cork on Thursday with an extended nine-race card due to super entries and Wexford raiders made the journey and collected some well-deserved prizemoney.

MICHAEL GOFF enjoyed a Christmas/New Year success in Cork.

Barry O’Neill won the Open Race on Mighty Stowaway for Gordon Elliott with four lengths to spare and the four-times champion rider embarks on 2022 with 22 victories, five ahead of his neighbour Rob James who is on the 17 winner mark.

Monageer handler Michael Goff brought his handling career total to 60, five of them this season, in his nine years of training when Rouge de L’Quest scored by two and a half lengths with Tom Hamilton up in division two of the maiden race for five-year-old geldings. The winner carried the familiar colours of Caitriona Goff.

John C. Byrne, who is based in the Kilmore area, was owner and handler of Young Darleen, who led from two out to take the maiden race for five- and six-year-old mares. This was the twelfth career winner for Cleariestown rider Barry Stone, three of them coming in the current season.

The 2022 point-to-point scene is unsettled  following the difficulty in securing insurance cover following the withdrawal of underwriters from the market and already two planned fixtures at Tinahely on January 9th and Ballycrystal on January 16th have been cancelled.

Man airlifted from Clonroche crash

A man in his 30s was airlifted from the scene of a road traffic collision on the N30 Clonroche-New Ross road near the junctions for Palace and Poulpeasty.

The single vehicle incident occurred around 12.30pm today and the sole occupant was taken by Air Ambulance to the trauma centre at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin. His condition was described as “serious but stable.”

The scene of a single vehicle road traffic collision at Palace on the N30 Clonroche-New Ross road which occurred earlier today.

Emergency services from the National Ambulance Service Wexford, New Ross Fire Service, New Ross Gardaí and the Air Ambulance Helimed 92 from Cork attended the scene.

The road was closed this afternoon and diversions were in place to allow forensic investigators examine the scene.

New flooding fears from overnight rain

By Dan Walsh

It has been raining steadily for most of today and is still falling tonight and reports have reached WexfordLocal.com that the road from Baldwinstown to Bridgetown is now heavily flooded and the canal is rising quickly in Bridgetown.

Cllr Jim Codd said Council response teams are already on site with sandbags. They will continue to closely monitor the situation in Bridgetown and Duncormick over the night. ““There is a lot of surface water and flooding in places so please drive carefully and avoid unnecessary travel. Please avoid driving in the area if at all possible,” he said.

Excess water is reported on the Duncannon line in places and flooding occurring on the Murrintown to Bridgetown Road, Murrintown village, Longridge, the Mill Lane in Bridgetown, Larkins Cross to Taghmon, Twelveacre to Killinick, Kilcavan, Duncormick to Rathangan, Dunphys Bridge in Rathangan and Bridgetown to Baldwinstown.

Serious damage to property in the south Wexford areas of Bridgetown, Kilmore Quay and Rathangan was caused by the Christmas Day deluge and several loaded skips of personal and household belongings have been taken away as householders and businesses count the cost.

Cllrs Jim Codd, Tom Forde, Fionntán Ó Súilleabhain, Leonard Kelly and Jackser Owens have called for a Special Meeting of Wexford County Council under Section 4 of Standing Orders to discuss the worst flooding in living memory in south Wexford. The request has been granted and is scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon.

CLLR JIM CODD looks out over the canal and adjoining submerged lands at Lakelands, Kilmore Quay, last Tuesday evening.

Thousands of acres of land adjoining the canal were flooded and hundreds of acres of winter cereal crops were destroyed. Deputy Paul Kehoe and Cllr Jim Moore met with local landowners, President of the IFA Tim Cullinan and Wexford County IFA personnel at the flooding site in the Kilmore area.

Deputy Kehoe said; “I spoke with the Ministers for Agriculture Charlie McConologue TD and Martin Heydon TD. I will be continuing to fight to get some compensation package.”

In case of an emergency call Wexford County Council Emergency line on 1890 666 777.

Tales from historic Kilcarbery

By Dan Walsh

Road closure measures have been enacted by Wexford County Council following the destruction of Kilcarbery Bridge during the infamous Christmas Day flooding episode which also damaged properties in the area.

The final road bridge on the River Boro on its way to the Slaney, Kilcarbery has a long and distinguished industrial history and the old mill buildings are prominent landmarks in a valley near Enniscorthy.

Flood damage at Kilcarbery Bridge over the River Boro.
Part of the stone parapet crashed into the river.

The earliest known history of Kilcarbery Mills is that they existed as far back as 1610 and belonged to the Sparrow family. Before Thomas Sparrow died in 1837 the property were purchased by Francis Davis who reorganised the property and commenced an expansion programme.

In 1826, a double wing was added, six stories high used for flour dressing and further extensions took place in 1855, but the prominent square stone-built edifice with the immortal stone tablet inscription ‘F.D. 1875’ completed a complex of milling activity.

When the Davis family moved its milling operations to Enniscorthy the Mills were sold to the committee of Enniscorthy Asylum (later St. Senan’s Hospital) in the late 1890’s and supplied electricity until the Electricity Supply Board took over in the 1930s. The Kilcarbery water powered turbines produced voltage carried across the River Slaney to supply power.

Later Kilcarbery Mills were rented to Col. Lofus Bryan of Borrmount Manor and a successful tobacco rehandling station operated until the Department of Agriculture ordered the suspension in 1939.

In 1945 the Davis name was back in Kilcarbery when the property was sold by Wexford County Council and it was used by the Co. Wexford Beekeepers Co-Operative Society at a time when four fifths of Ireland’s honey supply was produced in Co. Wexford who had 600 beekeepers at the time.

Kilcarbery Mills is privately owned and is a great landmark with an amazing industrial past. And the adjoining River Boro was once a haven for local anglers with seasonal quantities of salmon and trout caught and cooked to feed families in poor times.

Part of the original Kilcarbery Bridge is visibly as floods decimate the structure in the Christmas Day floods.

Wilton waters flow but bridge is gone!

By Dan Walsh

The land around Wilton Castle was my playground growing up. On lazy Sunday afternoons we would leisurely peruse the ruins and roam freely and George Windsor never minded as we used to harvest his raspberries every August. The golden rule was simple – do not damage anything.

Picking the raspberries was a community event. A couple of dozens of us locals would spend the few weeks picking and chatting and sometimes, we would dip in the River Boro when high jinks kicked in. Wonderful memories.

The famous bridge at Wilton collapsed during last weekend’s weather event. Stonework of the original bridge can be been for the first time since 1947.

The Christmas Day inundation wrecked Wilton Bridge and when I visited on Tuesday a local man showed me the original stonework way down in the fallen remains of the current bridge. The original was one of those stone bridges, and a small number still exist!

Another local said the bridge was washed away in the floods of 1947 and it happened on St. Patrick’s Day. It was rebuilt, but it has been getting attention over the years and there was a recent investment of almost €50,000!

This is not the first time that Wilton has been in the news. The Furlongs and the Butlers were there since 1247. The Alcock family arrived in 1695, the castle was burned in 1923, and today, the windows are once again illuminated as Wilton Castle is a tourism accommodation facility.

Wilton was famous for its horseless carriage proceeding in ghostly fashion towards the castle on a specific day every year. It looks like the ‘ghost’ has returned, and while the engineers and the experts probe the fallen masonry, another group will crunch the maths, but it looks like normal travel between Bree and Davidstown will be a diversionary tactic for some months to come…

Christmas Day horror in Bridgetown

By Dan Walsh in Bridgetown

It was heartbreaking to walk through the village of Bridgetown and observe people’s possessions either sitting outside their homes or piled high on lorry-sized skips awaiting collection having been devastated by the torrential Christmas Day rainfall that created flooding across large parts of Co. Wexford.

The clean-up has days to go, the horror inflected on the local population will be a talking point for generations and fears for the future are evident. “I would be afraid of this happening again,” said one elderly resident, and another asked; “Could it be possible that this is the beginning of things to come at regular intervals?”

And this was two days after the worst weather event to hit south Wexford in living memory. Cllr Jim Codd said; “The people are devastated here. Their Christmas ruined. People trapped in submerged car parks.

In our attached audio clip, Cllr Codd explains the scenario that descended on Bridgetown and other areas in south Wexford before taking me to the Big Bridge of Ballaburn where we gazed at a waterlogged landscape as far as the eye could see in all directions.

AUDIO ADDITION; CLLR JIM CODD tells DAN WALSH about severe flooding in the Bridgetown district and outlines what happens next?
Local resident Ollie Daly with Cllr Jim Codd and his children, Moira and Siobhán, at the clean-up in Bridgetown village today.

Hundreds of low-lying acres of land are covered by water with the pumping station on the canal unable to handle the volume of water. Winter crops are already devastated.

Local resident Leslie Bates told WexfordLocal.com that his 86 years old mother never remembers such flooding and devastation in her lifetime. “We have got bits of flooding over the years but never anything like this,” he added.

AUDIO ADDITION; Local resident LESLIE BATES talks to DAN WALSH about flooding on the low-lying landscape of south Wexford today.
Leslie Bates and Cllr Jim Codd reflect on hundreds of acres of land flooded in south Wexford.

Cllr Codd is calling for better flood defences for Bridgetown, Duncormick and Wellingtonridge and he is urging TDs for Wexford to release funds to make these areas safe. “Substantial investment is required for drainage,” he concluded.