The newly elected Mayor of Wexford is Cllr Garry Laffan (Fianna Fail) who was “honoured and privileged” to be elevated to the historic position at the annual general meeting of Wexford Borough and Municipal District Council held this morning.
MAYOR GARRY LAFFAN
From Glynn, Mayor Laffan is an All-Ireland hurling medal holder with the victorious 1996 Wexford team and a former member of the Defence Forces who was first elected to Wexford County Council in 2019.
He served as Leas-Cathaoirleach on the outgoing Wexford County Council team led by Cllr Ger Carthy (Independent)
Mayor Laffan replaces Cllr Leonard Kelly, (Independent) who proposed Cllr Laffan and speaking at his departure reflected on his term as Mayor of Wexford. “It has been an honour to lead this wonderful town and district during the strangest of strange twelve months, for all of us,” and he added; “While my time as Mayor is at an end, I have three more years as County Councillor. A time in which I intend to be as relentless as I have in the last 12 months in ensuring our community is a great place for all of us.”
Ballyhogue solicitor Cllr Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael) is the new Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council defeating Cllr Jackser Owens (Independent), 4 votes to 2, at the annual general meeting held at Kilcannon Garden Centre this morning.
CLLR CATHAL BYRNE… Cathaoirleach Enniscorthy Municipal District Council
Proposed by Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan and seconded by Cllr Aidan Browne, Cllr Byrne paid tribute to the outgoing Cathaoirleach Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy whom he said; “led the district with distinction”.
Cllr Byrne said it was “a great honour to serve as Chairman” and he promised to treat all parties and none with respect. He was first elected to Wexford County Council in 2019.
Cllr Aidan Browne was chosen unopposed as Leas-Cathaoirleach. He appreciated the nomination and said it was “a great honour and privilege” and he would work for the betterment of Enniscorthy town and district.
Good day for Wexford football with a 2-11 to 0-14 victory over Wicklow at Aughrim today (Sunday) earning a rare opportunity to play against the record breakers six-in-a-row All-Ireland champions Dublin in the Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final in Chadwicks Wexford Park next Sunday. It is Wexford’s first Leinster Championship success since 2014.
WEXFORD: Darragh Brooks; Martin O’Connor (1-00), Gavin Sheehan, Liam O’Connor; Paraic Hughes (0-01), Brian Malone, Michael Furlong; Daithi Waters, Liam Coleman; Tom Byrne, Sean Nolan, Kevin O’Grady; John Turbitt (0-02), Eoghan Nolan, Mark Rossiter (1-06, 1f). Subs: Ben Brosnan for Nolan (7), Donal Shanley (0-02, 2f) for Brosnan (19), Niall Hughes for Nolan (47), Eoghan Porter for L O’Connor (57), Alan Tobin for O’Grady (58).
WICKLOW: Mark Jackson (0-02, 2f); Arran Murphy (0-03), Eoin Murtagh, Oisin Manning; Darragh Fitzgerald, Niall Donnelly, David Deveraux; Padraig O’Toole (0-01), John Paul Hurley; Andy Maher, Mark Kenny (0-01), Conor Byrne (0-01); Chris O’Brien (0-02, 2f), Seanie Furlong, Patrick O’Connor (0-04). Subs: Paul Cunningham for Fitzgerald (40), Daniel Keane for O’Brien (55), John Sheeran for Hurley (62), Fintan O’Shea for Cunningham (68), Saoirse Kearon for D Devereaux (69), Pat Burke for Maher (69).
Wexford got the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship off to a winning start with a 20-points victory over Laois at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, on Saturday evening and will face Kilkenny in the next round next Saturday in a game that may be fixed for Croke Park!
WEXFORD: Mark Fanning (0-01 free); Simon Donohoe, Liam Ryan, Shane Reck; Gavin Bailey (0-01), Matthew O’Hanlon, Shaun Murphy (0-01); Diarmuid O’Keeffe (0-02), Liam Óg McGovern (0-02); Rory O’Connor (1-07), Mikie Dwyer (0-02), Kevin Foley (0-03); Paul Morris (0-05, 1 free), Lee Chin (1-02, 0-01 free), Conor McDonald (2-04). Subs: Jack O’Connor for O’Keeffe (50); Connal Flood for Donohoe (54); David Dunne (1-00) for Dwyer (54); Conor Firman for Bailey (61); Cathal Dunbar (0-01) for Chin (67).
LAOIS: Enda Rowland; Donnacha Hartnett, Seán Downey, Jack Kelly (0-01); Stephen Maher, Ciarán McEvoy, Ryan Mullaney; Fiachra C. Fennell, James Ryan; Charles Dwyer (0-04), Paddy Purcell (0-03), Ciarán Collier (0-02), PJ Scully (0-08, 5 frees, 1 ‘65), Willie Dunphy, Ross King (0-02).
Subs: Eanna Lyons for Ryan (HT); Lee Cleere (0-01) for Hartnett (47); Aaron Dunphy for W. Dunphy (53); Ciarán Comerford (1-01) for Purcell (53); Matthew Whelan (0-01) for Downey (54).
Adamstown Cllr Pat Barden (Independent) was elected Cathaoirleach of New Ross Municipal District Council at the annual general meeting held on Friday. He succeeds Cllr Michael Whelan (Fianna Fail).
CLLR PAT BARDEN, Cathaoirleach New Ross Municipal District Council
Cllr Barden was congratulated by his colleagues and wished well for his coming year in the leadership role, while Cllr Whelan was praised for his work in the town and district during the past year.
Cllr Barden was well-known in GAA circles and played inter-county hurling and football with Wexford. He hails from a long-tailed family with roots in Adamstown and Fethard-on-Sea and was elected to Wexford County Council on his first attempt in the 2019 Local Authority elections.
Speculation about the future of the Barrow Railway Bridge at Great Island, Campile, has been gaining media coverage, however, there appears to be extraordinarily little information emanating from official sources or debate from local public representatives. This amazing bridge in a remote location is an engineering feat and part of early-20th century history and heritage.
The Barrow Bridge, built between 1902 and 1906 has been closed to traffic since 2010, carries the Rosslare to Waterford railway line and has 15 spans, two of which are electronically operated to swing about a central pivot to allow shipping through.
WexfordLocal.com would love to hear from sources that may influence the future of the railway line and the bridge, but in the meantime, here is a brief, but exciting history.
The Barrow Bridge with an overall length of 650-metres was the longest bridge in Ireland 1906-1984.
Barrow Bridge is a major example of bridge engineering with an overall length of 650-metres and up to the opening of the Foyle Bridge in 1984 was the longest bridge in Ireland.
The bridge was erected by Sir William Arrol and Company (established 1873) of Glasgow to designs by Sir Benjamin Baker (1840-1907) of London and is identified as an important component of the built heritage of south County Wexford on account of the connections with the development of the Fishguard and Rosslare Railway (FRR) line opened (1906) by the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours (FRRH) Company: a Pratt-type lattice girder “swing span”, included to allay concerns from the New Ross Harbour Commissioners that the bridge would impact on navigation to the port and still operated to facilitate shipping following the closure of the bridge to passenger traffic in 2010 pinpoints the engineering or technical dexterity of the composition.
At the time of completion (1906) Barrow Bridge was the third longest bridge spanning entirely across water in Great Britain and Ireland, after Tay Bridge (1883-‘07) and the Sir Benjamin Baker-designed Forth Bridge (1882-90) and was until 1984 the longest bridge of any kind in Ireland.
Gardaí and Revenue officers have seized €740,000 worth of cannabis discovered in a truck arriving at Rosslare Europort from mainland Europe.
Gardaí intercepted a truck arriving at Rosslare Port on Friday afternoon. A follow-up search revealed 37kg of cannabis herb wrapped in plastic with an estimated street value of €740,000.
Seized at Rosslare Europort
A man, aged in his 30s, was arrested at the scene and was being held for questioning at Wexford Garda Station on Friday night. He is being held under Section two of Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act which allows for him to be detained for up to seven days.
The seizure was the result of a joint operation in Wexford carried out by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and the Revenue Customs Service.
The investigation related to “serious organised criminal activity”, the Garda said in a statement on Friday night.
A busy week so far for the Courtown-Arklow Coast Guard Unit with call out’s on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Thursday at 3.34pm the Unit were tasked following a request from National Emergency Operations Centre with a person who had fallen from a cliff just south of Courtown and sustained a leg injury.
Once the casualty was located it was established that extraction via land was too difficult, so Rescue 117 was called in to assist and the casualty was winched onboard. The pitch at the Riverchapel Community Complex was prepared as a landing zone for the helicopter and the casualty was transferred to an awaiting ambulance where they were transferred to hospital for further care.
The unit were stood down and returned to base and prepare for the next callout!
RESCUE HELICOPTER 117
On Wednesday at 6.02pm the Unit were tasked to an object in the water at Saleen beach, just below Tara Hill, and following an investigation it turned out to be a large piece of timber.
This was a call with good intentions as the caller was unsure what it was; it is always better to make the call and have the item investigated to be sure. The unit was stood down and returned to base.
Remember if you see someone in difficulty on or near the water, dial 112/999 and ask for the Coast Guard.
Cllr Jim Moore, (Fine Gael), was elected Cathaoirleach of Rosslare Municipal District Council at this morning’s annual general meeting held at Wexford County Council Headquarters.
CLLR JIM MOORE, Cathaoirleach Rosslare Municipal District Council(Pic; Fine Gael.ie)
Tributes were paid to the outgoing Cathaoirleach Cllr Frank Staples, (Fine Gael), and thanks were expressed to him for his dedicated service to the role.
Cllr Moore, who has been a member of Wexford County Council since 2009 and was Cathaoirleach in 2010, said he is humbled by the support of his fellow members who elected him to the Rosslare district role.
Cllr Jim Codd, (Aontu), elected to Wexford County Council for the first time in 2019 is the new Leas-Cathaoirleach.
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, the longest bridge in Ireland, has been awarded the 2021 International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) Outstanding Structure Award.
Part of the country’s strategic N25 New Ross Bypass PPP, the win marks the first time an Irish project has secured the prestigious global award for the most remarkable, innovative and creative structures.
BAM Ireland CEO Theo Cullinane commented; “We are delighted that the bridge has been internationally recognised for its engineering excellence and are we are enormously proud to have built such an iconic structure. Congratulations to Tadhg Lucey (COO BAM Civil) and all the project team for their exceptional hard work in delivering this outstanding piece of infrastructure.”
Recognised under the ‘Bridge or Other Infrastructures’ category, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge has pushed the boundaries for the span of concrete extrados bridges.
Constructed by the BAM Dragados JV, the outstanding structure, Ireland’s longest bridge at 887m in length, holds other records: at 230m each, its two main spans are the longest post-tensioned concrete spans in the world.
The side spans over dry land on both sides of the River Barrow were built using a scaffold and a wing form traveller. The main spans were built using the balanced cantilever method. At its maximum length from the central pier, the west span cantilevered 140m over the river.
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy global award-winning bridge over the River Barrow between Wexford and Kilkenny south of New Ross.
The Outstanding Structure Award recognises the innovative teamwork of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Wexford and Kilkenny County Councils, contractors BAM and Dragados, the designers Arup and Carlos Fernandez Casado (CFC), and technical advisors for the scheme Mott MacDonald.
The 36m high, 887m long bridge crosses the River Barrow south of New Ross between Wexford and Kilkenny and forms a major part €230 million N25 New Ross Bypass PPP which has greatly improved connectivity in the South East of the country and reduced travel times on the strategic Cork to Rosslare corridor.
The Administrative Offices of Rosslare Municipal District have been officially opened by District Cathaoirleach, Cllr Frank Staples, alongside the Chief Executive of Wexford County Council, Mr Tom Enright and other members and staff of the Rosslare Municipal District in a small, socially distanced ceremony.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Frank Staples said; “I am proud to officially open the new office today and I am delighted to see dedicated facilities in place to allow the administrative staff and elected members to provide the best possible service for the citizens of the Rosslare District.”
Chief Executive Mr Tom Enright, added; “It is important to have an established office space for each of the five Districts in the county and while the delivery of the office for Rosslare district was delayed by public health measures over the last year, the preparatory work undertaken by the staff to ensure construction works could be completed as quickly as possible following a relaxation of the restrictions is to be commended.”
Pictured at the official opening of Rosslare Municipal District Offices (left to right); Cllr Ger Carthy, Chairman Wexford County Council, Dean Waters, Staff Officer, Rosslare Municipal District, Nóirín Cummins, District Manager, Rosslare Municipal District, Cllr Frank Staples, Chairman Rosslare Municipal District, Tom Enright, Chief Executive Officer, Wexford County Council, Cllr Jim Codd, Annette O’ Neill, Rosslare District Director, Mark Collins, District Engineer, and Chris Bailey, Clerical Officer, Rosslare Municipal District.
The official opening of the office marks a significant milestone for the new Municipal District, formally established in 2019. The dedicated Municipal District Office is located in County Hall, Carriglawn, Wexford, and will be the focal point for facilitating and enabling the administration and elected members of the Rosslare Municipal in the delivery of the programmes and objectives for the district.
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