Landmark Cavan tourism amenity and country's fifth most visited forest park primed for significant infrastructural upgrade
Local authority bosses, in partnership with State forestry company Coillte, have announced plans to carry out the upgrade at Killykeen Forest Park.
The current bridge at the 240 acre park was originally constructed in the early 1990s, creating a vital link between Killeshandra and the forest park.
The facility's ever increasing popularity coincided in its naming last August as the fifth most visited forest park in the country.
That rise to prominence on foot of its near 90,000 annual visitors allied to years of exposure to the elements necessitated the need for an upgrade, council bosses said.
"The bridge's timber components now require replacement, and its narrow width has become unsuitable for the growing number of users, particularly cyclists,' said a spokesperson.
"These upgrades will see the install of a wider pedestrian bridge, appropriately designed to sit in this beautiful and special landscape and will meet the demands of increased usage, ensuring it continues to serve as a key connector within the park.'
In a move to reduce onsite disruption, the main construction of the new bridge structure will be carried out off-site with a pontoon being inserted across the water as a 'temporary measure' in order to maintain accessibility during the project.
"This will allow uninterrupted access for walkers, runners, and cyclists using the popular Killykeen Way, which connects the forest park to Killeshandra,' added the spokesperson.
To protect the surrounding environment, a suite of measures will be taken to minimise ecological impact during construction, the council have maintained.
Brendan Jennings, Director of Services, Cavan County Council said the six week estimated project which is due to get underway in just over a week's time could not be understated.
'This project represents an important investment in local infrastructure and recreational amenity,' he said.
'The refurbished footbridge will enhance the user experience, preserve access to beloved local trails, and ensure that Killykeen Forest Park remains a popular destination for residents and visitors alike.'
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Irish Independent
21 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Landmark Cavan tourism amenity and country's fifth most visited forest park primed for significant infrastructural upgrade
Local authority bosses, in partnership with State forestry company Coillte, have announced plans to carry out the upgrade at Killykeen Forest Park. The current bridge at the 240 acre park was originally constructed in the early 1990s, creating a vital link between Killeshandra and the forest park. The facility's ever increasing popularity coincided in its naming last August as the fifth most visited forest park in the country. That rise to prominence on foot of its near 90,000 annual visitors allied to years of exposure to the elements necessitated the need for an upgrade, council bosses said. "The bridge's timber components now require replacement, and its narrow width has become unsuitable for the growing number of users, particularly cyclists,' said a spokesperson. "These upgrades will see the install of a wider pedestrian bridge, appropriately designed to sit in this beautiful and special landscape and will meet the demands of increased usage, ensuring it continues to serve as a key connector within the park.' In a move to reduce onsite disruption, the main construction of the new bridge structure will be carried out off-site with a pontoon being inserted across the water as a 'temporary measure' in order to maintain accessibility during the project. "This will allow uninterrupted access for walkers, runners, and cyclists using the popular Killykeen Way, which connects the forest park to Killeshandra,' added the spokesperson. To protect the surrounding environment, a suite of measures will be taken to minimise ecological impact during construction, the council have maintained. Brendan Jennings, Director of Services, Cavan County Council said the six week estimated project which is due to get underway in just over a week's time could not be understated. 'This project represents an important investment in local infrastructure and recreational amenity,' he said. 'The refurbished footbridge will enhance the user experience, preserve access to beloved local trails, and ensure that Killykeen Forest Park remains a popular destination for residents and visitors alike.'
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Dylan McCarthy's mum says world has been ‘destroyed' by son's death in ‘mob attack'
Marita McCarthy told the court her son went out to celebrate the birth of his nephew and came back in a coffin. The mother of a young man who died after he was assaulted during a melee outside a Kildare pub while celebrating the birth of his nephew nearly three years ago has said her world has been 'turned upside down' by the 'senseless attack' on her first-born child and only son. In an emotional victim impact statement, Marita McCarthy said the Cranberries song 'Dreams' came out when her son Dylan was born in 1993, but now she cries when she hears it because her son's dreams were 'snuffed' out by the fatal assault. The money she had saved for her son's wedding had gone towards his funeral instead, Ms McCarthy said. Ms McCarthy told the court her son went out to celebrate the birth of his nephew and came back in a coffin. She said her world has been turned upside down by the 'senseless and unprovoked mob attack on my family'. Her husband Eamonn, who was with Dylan on the night, and who was himself assaulted during the incident, said he had to discharge himself from hospital to attend his son's funeral. Sean Kavanagh (26). Pic Collins Courts Dylan's sister, Orla McCarthy, said she had asked her brother to be her newborn son's godfather just hours before he was killed. The statements were read out at a sentencing hearing on Tuesday afternoon for Calvin Dunne (25) and Sean Kavanagh (27). Dunne was acquitted of murder but convicted of Dylan McCarthy's manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury following a trial earlier this year. He was also found guilty of a charge of violent disorder. Two weeks into the trial, Dunne's co-accused, Kavanagh, with an address at St Mary's Lane, Church Avenue, Monasterevin, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to Eamonn McCarthy. A charge of violent disorder was taken into consideration. After a defence application, Ms Justice Biggs then directed the jury to find Kavanagh not guilty of the murder of Dylan McCarthy, a charge he had denied. It was the State's case that Mr McCarthy (29) died following an incident in which he received punches and a kick to the head from Dunne while he was attempting to get up off the ground. Two eyewitnesses told the jury that Dylan McCarthy was kicked in the head, with one describing the noise as 'a loud thud' that was 'like kicking a football', while the other said it sounded 'like a car door' shutting. Dunne contended, however, that he was acting in self-defence, that Mr McCarthy was himself 'involved in violence' on the night and that he did not kick the deceased in the head. Mr McCarthy's cause of death was a traumatic head injury and spinal injury caused by blunt force trauma. Calvin Dunne (24). Photo: Collins Courts State pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers told the jury it was not possible to determine whether a punch or kick caused the fatal injury that led to Mr McCarthy's death. In his impact statement, which was read to the court by his wife, Eamonn McCarthy said his previous life disappeared on the night of August 21, 2022 and he had lost his 'son and best friend'. 'I'm a broken man. The future is bleak.' He said following the assault he was on a liquid diet for 12 weeks and now has five plates and permanent nerve damage on the right side of his face. Eamonn McCarthy said his last memory of his son 'gurgling' and of his 'eyes rolling back in his head' will haunt him for the rest of his life. Mr McCarthy said his son was 'not a fighter' and everyone who knew Dylan knew he never hit or fought with anyone. He said he hasn't been inside a pub since the night his son was killed because he has anxiety around crowds. He said his life has become very isolated and he doesn't want to leave the house. Mr McCarthy said he felt like he had 'let my son down when he needed me most'. 'I have never regretted anything so much as entering the Bellyard pub,' he said. Mr McCarthy said Dylan had told him that night that he was going to propose to his girlfriend Aoife in the coming months. Marita McCarthy told the court today: 'I have no wedding to look forward to. The money I had been saving for their wedding went towards a funeral. Dylan's mother said her son was hit and kicked to death before those responsible 'calmly walked away'. She said they did not stick around to see what they did to Dylan and had left her husband with life-long, life-altering injuries. Dylan McCarthy News in 90 June 4th 'My world is destroyed, devastated, changed beyond belief every day,' she said. 'Instead of picking a 30th birthday present I was picking a headstone. Every day is like Groundhog Day, wishing it wasn't true.' She said her son died 'on a footpath outside a pub' as her husband watched his eyes 'rolling into his head and his last gasps'. In her victim impact statement, Dylan's girlfriend Aoife Talty said she met him after her 22nd birthday and they fell 'instantly in love with each other'. She said Dylan was 'kind, fun gentle and caring'. He never liked to be the centre of attention she said, but people were drawn to him and his 'infectious laugh'. Ms Talty said Dylan always made her feel 'loved and happy' and she was looking forward to spending their lives together. The trial heard that on the night of the fatal assault in August 2022, a row broke out after a drink was spilled and the group were ejected from the premises. Dunne told gardai that when a group of people came out of the pub and a fight broke out, he saw his former co-accused Sean Kavanagh fighting with Dylan and Eamonn McCarthy. Dunne said that at one point, Dylan McCarthy went to hit Kavanagh from behind, so Dunne grabbed Dylan McCarthy by the wrist. He told gardaí Dylan McCarthy turned to punch him, so Dunne hit him in the 'chin or jaw' area, causing him to fall. Dunne said he then 'lightly kicked' Dylan to what he believed was 'the chest area'. The defendant told gardaí that Dylan and Eamonn McCarthy were being 'extremely violent'. 'Everything I did was to stop them attacking Sean, I didn't drill him or kick him viciously,' Dunne said. Dunne, of Abbey View, Monasterevin, Co Kildare, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr McCarthy on or about August 22nd, 2022. He had also pleaded not guilty to violent disorder on August 21st, 2022, at Dublin Road, Monasterevin. Kavanagh told gardaí he looked into the pub after hearing shouting and saw staff being assaulted. He said he tried to help remove the group causing the disturbance. He said the fight spilled out onto the street at which point members of this group started to punch and assault him as he attempted to remove them. Kavanagh said a man in his 50s put him in a headlock, causing him to feel 'extremely fearful' for his safety. After he got out of the headlock, he said punches were exchanged and he struck the man in self-defence. The jury heard Eamonn McCarthy sustained a fractured jaw and required surgery and five plates to treat his injuries. He also sustained a broken nose and a hairline fracture around one of his eye sockets. He waited until after Dylan's funeral had taken place to have the operation. At today's sentencing hearing, Detective Garda James Young told prosecution counsel Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC that neither Dunne nor Kavanagh have any previous convictions. Mr Ó Dúnlaing said the DPP placed the manslaughter offence in the mid-range of offending attracting a headline sentence of between four and ten years. Michael Lynn SC, for Kavanagh, handed in a letter of apology that his client had written to the McCarthy family. Mr Lynn said the defendant was 24 at the time of the incident. Kavanagh pleaded guilty to the Section 3 assault, he said, and has accepted his responsibility. Mr Lynn said it was clear everything on the night happened in a very, very short space of time and Kavanagh 'deeply regrets what happened' and 'what he did'. Mr Lynn described Kavanagh as 'hardworking' person and a 'good friend' who was spoken of very highly by a very wide range of members of the community from different backgrounds. He said Kavanagh is a decorated sportsman and had represented Ireland in basketball. He said his client has used his sporting talent to contribute to his local club in terms of underage training and involvement with various teams. John Fitzgerald SC, representing Dunne, said nothing he said on behalf of his client was seeking to mitigate or get around the fact the McCarthy family have been given a life sentence. The lawyer asked the court to consider the matter in the wider context and take into account the effects it will have in the future. He said the probation report assessed Dunne as being of low risk of re-offending. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said she needed time to digest and consider everything she had heard and adjourned the matter to June 30 for finalisation.
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Richard Satchwell to be sentenced later for murder of wife Tina Satchwell in 2017
RICHARD SATCHWELL IS due to be sentenced later today after being found guilty of murdering his wife Tina Satchwell in 2017. The 12 jurors took nine hours and 28 minutes over four days to convict Satchwell, a British national born on 16 June 1966 who is soon to turn 59. The unanimous jury verdict last week was met with sobs from members of Tina's family, who hugged and comforted one another at the back of the courtroom. Advertisement Satchwell had pleaded not guilty to murdering 45-year-old Tina Satchwell – nee Dingivan – at their home address at Grattan Street, Youghal, Co Cork between 19 and 20 March 2017, both dates inclusive. File image of Tina Satchwell Satchwell had claimed that his wife Tina had launched an attack on him with a chisel and died during a struggle in which he either lacked the intent to kill her or was acting in self-defence. However, the jury unanimously rejected his defence and agreed with the State's case that Satchwell was a 'cunning' murderer whose claims were 'nonsense' and had hidden his wife's body to ensure a cause of death would not be available. Satchwell formally reported Tina missing on 11 May, 2017, but her body was not discovered for over six years, when gardaí in October 2023 conducted a second, invasive search of the Satchwell home and found her decomposed remains in a grave dug underneath the stairs. Related Reads Years of lies, a secret burial, and a chilling confession: The Richard Satchwell murder trial Tina Satchwell's family pay tribute to 'loving and gentle soul' and say trial 'did not portray who she was' Richard Satchwell found guilty of the murder of his wife Tina Satchwell in 2017 The judge will hand down the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment to Satchwell today, and Satchwell has been remanded in custody since the jury found him guilty of murder on 30 May. The Dingivan family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Tina's death has had on their lives after sentencing. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
