A 20 years old woman has died in a two vehicle collision that occurred on the Wellingtonbridge to Wexford (R733) road at the turn off for Murrintown at 6am this morning. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the second car, a woman in her 60s, was taken to Wexford General Hospital and her injuries are described as ‘non-life threatening’.
The road remains closed. Forensic Collision Investigators are currently carrying out their examinations.
Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward and for any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) who were travelling in the area between 5.30am and 6am to make this footage available to Gardaí.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Wexford Garda Station on 053 9165200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys has announced over €6.5 million in funding for 38 projects under Measure 2 of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and €558,650 goes to County Wexford walking trails.
OUR LADY’S ISLAND
Phase two of the Duncannon to Ballyhack Trail receives €192,150.
Our Lady’s Island to Carne Trail and Kellyswood Interlink Trail gets €200,000,
Forth Mountain Equestrian Trail and Ballybrittas Portal Tomb Walk on the side of Bree Hill gets €166,500.
News of the funding has been welcomed by local TDs and councillors. The scheme provides funding for the development, promotion and maintenance of outdoor amenities such as trails, walkways, cycleways, and blueways.
This investment is in addition to €3.2 million approved for 174 smaller Measure 1 projects in January and is being funded in partnership with Fáilte Ireland.
Kilmore United FC is to receive €5,000 funding under the Texaco Support for Sport initiative by Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, the company that markets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand.
Open to sports clubs across the 26-counties, irrespective of sporting discipline, size, membership, age, cultural appeal or gender, the initiative saw a fund of €130,000 being made available by Valero for distribution in equal amounts of €5,000 to successful applicants chosen on a county-by-county basis.
One of almost 400 clubs countrywide to make application under the scheme, Kilmore United has a 190-strong membership and fields two men’s teams, six under-18 teams and one women’s team.
Soccer training equipment on green artificial turf. Material for training class of football academy.
The club is based at Abby Troy Park, named in memory of one of its young female members who passed away suddenly in 2017 at the young age of 16 years – a loss they claim, ‘has affected our club and community deeply’.
The €5,000 award made to Kilmore United will be used to complete the development of their grounds in her name and fund efforts to attract more young women and girls to participate in sport.
Congratulating the club on its success, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations, Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited said: “A feature evident in almost all applications was the pressure felt by clubs in the current circumstances to expand their role within their local communities with increased membership demands and the need for extra equipment and improved facilities.”
“The purpose of our initiative is to help clubs to overcome these obstacles so that they continue to remain active and at the very heart of their local communities. The initiative has been so warmly welcomed by sports clubs nationwide in its launch year,” he added.
An elderly man who was struck by a vehicle and seriously injured while out walking near his home 10 days ago has died from his injuries at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Laurence ‘Larry’ Leacy, (89), was on a back road when he was struck by a vehicle at Tinraheen, The Ballagh, around 2pm on Monday, February 22nd.
Emergency services were quickly on the scene and Mr Leacy was airlifted by helicopter to Beaumont Hospital from Oulart-The Ballagh GAA pitch.
The search for Ireland’s most talented family! Réalta Agus Gaolta is back and the search for Ireland’s most entertaining family, 2021! Whether your family members are talented musicians, singers or dancers, they want to hear from you now.
Pic; tg4.ie
Do you think you can impress the judges? Keeping an eye on the talent is champion sean-nós singer and popular broadcaster Irial Ó’Ceallaigh. Alongside him will be Sinéad Ní Uallacháin, journalist and radio producer with a keen eye for up-and-coming Irish talent. Each week they will be joined by a famous guest judge from the world of showbiz. Has your family got what it takes to become a household name? Can you and your siblings take the sing-along in the sitting room to the national stage? Will you and your parents be the next famous family rocking the country? If so, get in touch with us now! To apply, your group must consist of two or more members. All members of the group must be related to each other. Filming will take place in RTÉ, Dublin later in the Spring. Applicants must be available for at least ONE day of filming. Should an applicant reach the series semi-final and the final, they would need to be available for a SECOND day of filming. Applicants are invited to apply via tg4.ie/realta-agus-gaolta or by contacting the production team directly at rob@adareproductions.ie
Volunteer lifeboat crew at Fethard RNLI received a call from the Irish Coast Guard on Sunday to reports of three walkers who were cut off by the incoming tide with no way of getting to safety.
The inshore lifeboat arrived at Cocklestrand, west of Bannow Island at 5.35pm. The Kilmore Quay Coast Guard unit was also tasked. Once on scene the lifeboat crew began the search for the stranded walkers. An extensive search of the north and south shoreline was carried out, but the walkers were nowhere to be seen and had made their own way to safety.
Fethard RNLI Lifeboat responded to a call at Cocklestrand. (Pic RNLI/Mark Brennan)
Mark Brennan, Fethard RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer said: “The member of the public did absolutely the right thing, reporting someone in difficulty. It is always better to be safe than sorry and we would much rather launch and find nothing than not launch at all, safety is always our priority.”
Mr Brennan added that people are keen to exercise outside within government guidelines and live in a beautiful area with lots of access to the coast. “However, we would advise people to keep an eye on their surroundings, in particular incoming tides and also to watch their footing on the shoreline.”
“Fethard RNLI remain on call and fully operational during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is no crew training or exercises taking place now, but we are here if people need us,” concluded Mr Brennan.
Wexford’s Sinn Féin Deputy Johnny Mythen has described today’s announcement of Bank of Ireland branch closures in Taghmon and Rosslare Harbour as the wrong decision at the worst possible time for customers and staff.
Deputy Mythen said; “Bank of Ireland closing over a third of its branches in the south and more than half of its branches in the north from September is the wrong decision. This comes in the teeth of a global pandemic and less than two weeks after Ulster Bank announced its withdrawal from the southern market. It is a huge blow for customers and staff.”
DEPUTY JOHNNY MYTHEN
“Bank of Ireland has attempted to justify this announcement based on a fall in branch visits over the past twelve months. This is hardly surprising given the entire population had its movements significantly restricted in response to a public health emergency. In reality, the bank is using Covid-19 for cover, punishing customers for following public health regulations. This is not just a cynical move, but a slap in the face that will hurt customers, staff and communities.”
Deputy Mythen said he will be writing to the CEO of Bank of Ireland, the Minister for Finance and the Governor of the Central Bank in light of today’s announcement.
“The Minister is a major shareholder in Bank of Ireland, while the Governor is charged with consumer protection. They have a responsibility to do all they can to put the interests of customers and communities first. The taxpayer poured €4.7 billion into Bank of Ireland during the financial crisis – the least the Irish people deserve from the bank is respect,” he concluded.
Bank of Ireland has confirmed closure of 103 branches, including two in Wexford at Rosslare Harbour and Taghmon, while a large number in North Wexford will be affected by the loss of Carnew and Tinahely in south Wicklow and Borris and Tullow in Carlow.
The bank says that Covid-19 has accelerated a shift in the industry towards digital banking and the bank has signed a deal to allow personal and business customers use their local An Post office for certain services, including cash withdrawals and cash and cheque lodgements.
AIB and Ulster Bank, which is exiting the market, have similar partnerships with An Post.
ROSSLARE HARBOUR branch of Bank of Ireland
“Sad day for the local area. Another attack on rural Ireland,” was how Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Cllr Ger Carthy stated on hearing the news. “Bank of Ireland bailed out by Fianna Fàil and the Greens and now Rosslare Harbour and Taghmon banks allowed to shut under Fine Gael, Fianna Fàil and the Greens. Don’t forget this decision when they come to your door the next time,” he concluded.
TAGHMON branch Bank of Ireland
Commenting of social media today, Cllr Jim Codd said “This is another attack on rural Ireland and will leave many people who are not comfortable using online banking hung out to dry.” Cllr Codd added; Four years ago hundreds of people signed a petition calling on Bank of Ireland to preserve the Taghmon branch when it looked in danger of closing. I plan on recreating this petition now and I am asking for volunteers to help. Rural Wexford cannot afford another blow like this and it’s clear that the powers to be using the current crisis to offload assets they no longer want to hold.”
This is another significant blow for rural Ireland following the loss of post offices and garda stations across County Wexford in recent years. And there are issues with the availability of broadband services with pockets having no broadband services at all.
Wexford businesses need to be ready for further import checks from April 1st with the introduction of new documentary import controls on certain categories of EU goods such as all products of animal origin, including all meat, dairy, fish and composite products incorporating products of animal origin, as well as regulated plants and plant products.
ROSSLARE EUROPORT
Wexford’s Senator Malcolm Byrne points out that these new regulations will impact on supply chains for those shipping goods from Wexford and Ireland into Britain or using the landbridge with potential time delays. “Exporters, particularly of food products, need to be ready for these checks,” he warns.
“Avoiding the UK altogether will be increasingly attractive to Irish companies exporting to continental Europe as there will be greater time certainty through direct shipping. This makes the new direct routes at Rosslare even more attractive. For Wexford companies exporting to Britain, the added checks could result in delays,” concluded Senator Byrne.
In addition to customs formalities, Irish exporters exporting to or through the UK, excluding Northern Ireland, will need to comply with several new UK requirements. An exporter’s UK importer will have to pre-notify the UK authorities of the goods, the exporter will have to get the appropriate Health Certificate(s) from the Irish authorities and move the goods together with these Health Certificate(s).
Information on the impact, as well as government grants and supports can be found at gov.ie/Brexit
The Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists and Chair of the Irish South East branch have called on Iconic Newspapers to match its call for Irish government support with a change in its own attitude towards trade union recognition.
Recently, editors of the company’s 24 regional titles published a letter to their respective readers calling for support of the newspaper print sector, a call made by the NUJ in May 2020, and repeated in the union’s submission to the Future of Broadcasting Commission.
Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary, NUJ has responded to the editors’ letter pointing out; “There has been a growing awareness of the need for authoritative public interest journalism, provided not just by our public service broadcasters but by privately owned media.”
Mr Dooley called for bold polices, including specific measures to protect the regional press and specialist publications, across all platforms. “Targeted measures aimed at supporting jobs and quality journalism, and bolstering independent, diverse, ethically produced content are needed,” he added.
NUJ agrees that these are challenging times for everyone. This however is where the commonality appears to end.
“Our members are not “understanding” of the imposition of layoffs or reduced hours and why it is they have not been afforded the opportunity to be collectively represented by their Union. We would welcome the opportunity to engage with Iconic Newspapers to work together with the NUJ to protect local news and the members on whom the industry depends,” stated Mr Dooley, who added; “It is a cornerstone of our News Recovery Plan that public money should not be made available for privately owned firms making compulsory redundancies, cutting pay, giving executive bonuses, or blocking trade union organisation.
The NUJ’s stance is being fully supported by members in the South East, with Damien Tiernan, chair of the branch, stating “It’s imperative Denmark meets with the staff representative association. What’s happening now is just not good enough.”
Meanwhile, the union’s Irish Organiser Ian McGuinness has written to publisher Malcolm Denmark seeking a meeting to discuss the introduction of layoffs and reduced working hours in Iconic and has received no response.
WexfordLocal.com 