WexfordLocal.com

Rob James is rider/handler winner

By Dan Walsh

Cheltenham winning rider Rob James has got off to a winning start in the 2021-’22 point-to-point season with a photo-finish success on first timer Secret She Keeps, whom he also trains at Killanne in the colours of the Matchmaker Syndicate, in the four-year-old maiden race at Castletown-Geoghegan, Co. Westmeath today.

It was a short-head finish with James’ mount getting the verdict over the Colin Bowe trained first time Essential Jaco, ridden by Barry O’Neill.

The O’Neill-Bowe partnership were compensated later when Red Vision gained a ten lengths victory in the maiden race for six-year-olds and upwards.

Barry O’Neill had a second victory when partnering Ballyadam for Downpatrick handler Brian Hamilton, one and a half lengths success, bringing his seasonal total to seven and only two weekends into the season.

Robert Tector, (27), Rathnure, had a memorable success with Sevenofus in the five- and six-years old mares maiden race. Owned by Neil Tector, this was Robert’s first winner as a handler and the successful rider was Jamie Scallan. One length was the verdict.

Courtown Harbour prepares for winter

By Dan Walsh

Courtown Harbour and seaside village owes its popularity to the tourism and visitor attractions mainly between May and August, and, on occasions if the weather is favourable the season enjoys a bonus extension.

Yachts and pleasure craft has been removed from the harbour in preparation for the winter season, but all will be back, bigger and better hopefully, next Spring.

However, Courtown will continue to function as a lively village for the locals and visitors are most welcome even if the days are chilly and the sunshine is on holiday.

There are a variety of accommodation types such as bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, and caravan and holiday parks.

**Pleasure craft is removed from Courtown Harbour and taken into shelter for the winter months.**

The name ‘Courtown’ dates back to 1278,but the harbour was not built until the mid-1800s as a response by Lord Courtown to the Great Famine, and cost £25,000 to complete.

Courtown was by then already well known for its beaches, but the presence of the harbour made it popular as a fashionable destination, with people from Dublin and beyond frequenting the village and beaches. Its popularity as a summer holiday resort for Dublin people increased after 1863, when the railway line from Dublin reached Gorey.

Laptop hotspot in all Wexford’s libraries

By Dan Walsh

Wexford County Council has launched the eduroam Wi-Fi in all five libraries – Wexford, Enniscorthy, New Ross, Gorey and Bunclody – in County Wexford as part of the eduroam everywhere initiative.

A new word – eduroam stands for education roaming. It provides secure and easy-to-use Wi-Fi access in thousands of locations across more than 100 countries.

Students whose college/university participates in eduroam can simply open their laptop or mobile device within an eduroam hotspot to have immediate internet connectivity.

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr. Barbara-Anne Murphy said; “eduroam is another important addition to the IT services provided by Wexford Library Service. We encourage third level students to visit their local public library in County Wexford where they will be able to access eduroam and link seamlessly into their college networks while in their own home county.”

Ronan Byrne, HEAnet’s CEO, said; “We are delighted to welcome Wexford Libraries as an eduroam participant. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this happen, together we are working towards improving the learning experience of students in County Wexford and reducing the digital divide.

eduroam in Ireland is pioneered by HEAnet, Ireland’s National Education and Research Network. HEAnet has helped enable over 200 eduroam hotspots in universities, institutes of technology, libraries, healthcare settings, town centres, retail outlets, sporting venues and many others.

At the *eduroam* launch are: Patricia Keenan, Senior Executive Librarian; Eileen Morrissey, County Librarian; Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council and Jarlath Glynn, Executive Librarian.

Any interested organisations can get in touch by emailing eduroameverywhere@heanet.ie.“

Taoiseach’s visit, but no cheque book!

By Dan Walsh

An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin was in the South East region of Wexford today with visits to Rosslare Europort and Rosslare Community and Sports Centre at Rosslare Strand, however, there were no new announcements.

An Taoiseach said he was delighted to visit Rosslare Port today to witness the impact of investment, and the significant expansion of port traffic, jobs and passengers – as well as the exciting plans for development in the near future.

Minister James Browne said it was a pleasure to receive an important briefing alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin regards plans for Rosslare Europort from the General Manager Glenn Carr.

“The port has become a vital asset in the Government’s response to Brexit and continued investment will support the local economy and add more jobs,” said Minister Browne.

Cllrs Lisa McDonald and Ger Carthy from the Rosslare Municipal District were pleased to meet with An Taoiseach on their home patch and discuss community issues.

**Cllrs Ger Carthy and Lisa McDonald with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Rosslare Europort.**

Independent Deputy Verona Murphy described the Taoiseach, government officials and elected representatives visit to Rosslare Europort as “very disappointing for Co. Wexford.” She lamented the fact that there was “no announcement, no government cheque book.”

“It (the Taoiseach’s visit) did not deliver the €200 million required to upgrade the port and create 2,000 jobs for the people of Wexford,” concluded Deputy Murphy.

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Deputy Paul Kehoe, Senator Malcolm Byrne and Chief Executive of Wexford County Council Tom Enright were also amongst the invited attendance.

Water woes in Gorey again!

By Dan Walsh

Discolouration of drinking water has featured on social media in the Gorey town area today.

**Water quality at Millands today at 9am**

Wexford County Council text alerts say that discolouration of water may be experienced in Millands and surrounding areas.

Water mains flushing is taking place at Millands from 2.30pm to 5pm.

A number of investigations are in progress following a major incident at the Gorey Water Plant when unsafe drinking water entered the public supply and 52 people were reported ill during August.

Truck driver convicted of M11 drink driving

By Dan Walsh

An Garda Siochána has told WexfordLocal.com that they would like to thank a motorist for making a call and reporting a convicted driver who may have prevented a serious road traffic collision.

On August 8^th last at approximately 9.20am on the M11 near Gorey, a motorist contacted Gardaí to report an articulated truck driving dangerously and veering across lanes on the motorway.

A Roads Policing Unit (RPU) nearby intercepted the truck and observed similar driver behaviour. With the assistance of an RPU. motorcycle unit the truck was escorted off the motorway, where the driver was arrested for intoxicated driving, his urine sample concentration was 323mg/100ml, the minimum limit for a specified driver is 28mg.

The driver who was not resident in Ireland was charged to Court and remanded in custody. At Gorey District Court on the August 9^th the driver pleaded guilty to the charge and received a one month prison sentence and was disqualified from driving for three years.

Anyone observing poor or erratic driving on our roads should contact Gardaí on 999 or 112.

Irish Water upgrades at Tagoat and Wellingtonbridge

By Dan Walsh

Twenty-one additional wastewater treatment plants have been selected for upgrade as part of the Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme, including two in Co. Wexford.

In Wexford, two settlements are set to benefit from the programme. In Wellingtonbridge, an upgrade of Wastewater capacity to provide for growth will be catered for and in Grahormac, Tagoat, an upgrade for the Wastewater Treatment Plant will provide additional capacity for growth.

Irish Water’s Regional Operations Manager, Jim Fitzgerald, said; “The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien recently announced the Housing for All plan, and this is one of Irish Water’s key initiatives in supporting the delivery of this plan. Irish Water can confirm that the green light has been given for projects which will improve wastewater treatment capacity in Wellingtonbridge and Grahormac, Tagoat. This will unlock growth and development in this area by ensuring the treatment infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of the area.”

Irish Water has announced these projects now to enable Local Authorities to make plans on housing and development into the short and medium term supporting their regional and local development plans.

The announcement today was made possible after Irish Water’s planning team finalised their reviews of all submissions with a focus on the right sized projects for the right town or village at the right cost. The project will now continue through the next stages including design, detailed planning, procurement and approvals.

Further updates on the budget and timelines for delivery will be provided in due course. Looking forward, Irish Water anticipates that this programme will continue in the next capital investment programme delivering further upgrades to cater for growth.

Irish Water is responsible for public water and wastewater infrastructure and is committed to providing a safe and reliable water supply, Irish Water is investing €5.2 billion in the period from 2020-2024 in drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure.

Wexford students tops in children’s art

By Dan Walsh

Three Wexford students have won top prizes in this year’s 67th Texaco Children’s Art Competition, the results of which were delayed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were Ella Carley (15) from Loreto Secondary School, Wexford for her work entitled ‘Thom Yorke (Fade out)’ and John (8) and Nina Redmond (6), both pupils at St. Kevin’s National School, Gorey for their works entitled ‘The Hairy Lion’ and ‘The Underwater Sea Adventure’.

All were winners of Special Merit Awards for artworks that Final Adjudicator, Professor Declan McGonagle said: “demonstrated high levels of skill and imagination”.

The Texaco Children’s Art Competition is popularly regarded as the longest-running sponsorship in the history of arts sponsoring in Ireland, with an unbroken history that dates to the very first competition held in 1955.

This year, as has been the case throughout its life, it has been a platform on which young artists from Wexford and counties throughout Ireland have had their talents recognised and their creativity commended.

Kehoe says restore school library fund

By Dan Walsh

“Every child in every school in the Wexford has the “right to be a reader” and the upcoming Budget must make this happen,” according to Enniscorthy-based Fine Gael Deputy Paul Kehoe, TD.

Calling on Minister for Education and Skills, Norma Foley to fully restore the school library fund in Budget 2022, Deputy Kehoe told WexfordLocal.com ; “Every piece of research into childhood development shows that reading really matters. Reading is linked to improved well-being, cognitive development, increased literacy and academic self-confidence. Reading has the power to change children’s lives for the better and I am calling on the Minister to restore to full budget for grant funding for primary schools to keep their libraries fully stocked.

“This budget was cut in 2008 and has never been restored. As a result, fewer children have ready access to excellent, modern books. Many schools rely on donations to provide this essential resource.

“I am very proud of the great strides that we have made in our school building programme, building state of the art new schools, upgrading existing schools and planning for the future, but we need to continue to move this forward. There is little point in providing wonderful spaces for libraries in our schools if there is no funding to fill them with books.

“Allocating €10 for every primary school child in the country to help schools buy books (including audio and picture books) would require a Budget allocation of €5.68m, which, as with every investment into our children, would pay the state back exponentially into the future. Funding school libraries allow every child to become a reader,” concluded Deputy Kehoe.

Fishermen rescued in thick fog

By Dan Walsh

Two fishermen were stranded in thick fog in a small open punt after their craft suffered outboard engine difficulties off Creaden Head in the Waterford Estuary last Saturday.

Fethard RNLI was requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard shortly before 12.30pm. The volunteer crew of Fethard RNLI launched their inshore lifeboat at Duncannon Strand and proceeded to the co-ordinates given by the men on the broken-down vessel.

The water was flat calm and there was a light breeze at the time. However, visibility was less than four metres in a thick fog. The fishermen were located off Woodstown, where they tied up to a lobster pot marker buoy.

There, the lifeboat crew assessed the situation, and it was decided to tow the fishermen’s boat back to the safety of Duncannon Harbour.

Thomas Stafford, Fethard RNLI Helm said afterwards; “The two lads did everything right. They wore their lifejackets, they tied up to a marker when the engine failed, and they had the means to call for help and give their co-ordinates when things went wrong. All this led to a positive outcome with the two lads being returned to safety.