Clogherhead school set for safer future with new road plan
Welcoming the development, Cllr Declan Power, Drogheda Rural, said the improvements are the result of long-standing advocacy.
'As a resident and local Councillor for the area, I warmly welcome this development for the community of Clogherhead. I've been advocating for these road safety measures for several years, and I'm delighted to see them moving forward combined with the Safe Routes to School Programme.'
He emphasised the importance of the school to the community and the necessity of ensuring safe access for students and families.
'Callystown National School is at the heart of village life, and ensuring our children can travel safely to and from school—and nearby amenities like the local playground—must always be a top priority,' said Cllr Power.
He added that these upgrades would contribute to overall traffic calming, improve visibility, and create safer conditions not just for children bur also for older residents and those with limited mobility.
'These upgrades will help calm traffic, improve visibility, and make our roads safer for everyone, including older residents and those with limited mobility. It's a sensible, well-balanced project that enhances safety without altering the character of the area. I fully support these works and will continue to advocate for similar initiatives across the Drogheda and the Drogheda Rural district,' said Cllr Power.
The works will also complement upcoming safety measures already planned for Chapel Road, including a raised pedestrian crossing and a traffic-calming ramp. In addition, Cllr Power noted he is actively seeking the installation of street lighting near the local playground to further improve safety in the area.
Callystown NS is not the only school set to benefit, with Louth County Council confirming that Bellurgan NS in Dundalk and St Mary's NS in Knockbridge receiving similar road safety upgrades this year as part of the Safe Routes to School programme.
Public consultation on the proposed works is now open. Residents and members of the public are invited to review the drawings and project details and provide feedback from Tuesday, April 22 to Tuesday, May 6. Documents are available for inspection at the Louth County Council Offices in the Millennium Centre, Dundalk, and at the Civic Offices on Fair Street, Drogheda. Information is also available online at consult.louthcoco.ie/en/consultation/section-38-safe-routes-school-round-2.
Written submissions or observations must be clearly marked 'Section 38 Safe Routes to School – [School Name]'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Safety of children to the fore as Wexford council holds public meeting for safe routes to school scheme in Kiltealy
The (SRTS) programme is designed to improve safety and accessibility for students walking and cycling to school. It is coordinated by An Taisce, funded by the Department of Transport via the National Transport Authority, and is delivered in collaboration with WCC. For Kiltealy NS, which currently sees 84 per cent of students travelling to class by car, this will mean the construction of safe crossing points, reduced road widths and the inclusion of segregated walking and cycling paths to and from the school. However, upon the publication of the proposed SRTS scheme for Kiltealy earlier this year, WCC received 94 written submissions from members of the local community, the majority of which voiced their opposition to the proposals. Among their concerns were the use of nearby car parks as drop-off points for children and potential congestion at car parks in the community centre and the church. With SRTS primarily focused on moving all traffic away from schools and preventing parents from driving to the gates to collect and drop-off their children, other submissions questioned the wisdom of effectively forcing people to walk to school, during bad weather, with three or four children. One of the overriding themes in all those submissions was the sense that WCC was not listening to the concerns of the local community and that the works were going to go ahead without any proper public consultation. John Murphy and Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy at the Safe Routes to School public consultation meeting at Kiltealy Community Centre. In an effort to alleviate those concerns, Mr Hore and his staff set up detailed drawings and maps of the proposed works in the community centre on Thursday afternoon and fielded questions from those who continued to voice their opposition to the plans. Many of those attending the public consultation were quietly in favour of the works and were quick to praise council officials for coming and, not only listening to their concerns, but also implementing changes on foot of those discussions. 'WCC has listened to people's concerns,' said Anita Brennan. 'One concern I had was the construction of footpaths all the way through the village, and that's been reduced now. My children currently walk to school anyway, but it's not ideal with the speed of the cars coming through. However, when this is complete it will be a lot safer, all the speed ramps will make a huge difference.' Another attendee, who wished not to be named, said the scheme had divided the community to such an extent that it had caused some of those in favour of the works to shy away from the public consultation. 'There's been a lot of intimidation going on and that was evident throughout the consultation in the community centre,' they said. 'And this is not just me saying this, five or six people I spoke to felt the same. It's been going on since the very beginning, to the extent that some people chose not to come here today because they knew what it would be like when they got here. Anne and Michelle Jordan at the Safe Routes to School public consultation meeting at Kiltealy Community Centre. "There were signs put up around the village, we weren't going to do similar, it would have turned it into a circus. That's why a lot of those in favour of the scheme weren't heard as much. There's ways and means of doing things, and ultimately the submissions were read and listened to by the council.' All six of the Enniscorthy district's councillors were in attendance throughout the course of the day and Fine Gael's Pat Kehoe said that presenting the information in person had allowed locals to see first-hand how the alterations will affect the village. 'I think people are glad the council staff have come up here today and put everything on display for them to see,' he said. 'It's much clearer once you see it here in person, the engineers have made significant changes, they have taken a lot of the footpath out of the village – which was a major concern for a lot of people who contacted me about this. 'The general consensus is that safety has to be paramount, people have concerns about certain aspects of the scheme but, to date, even with the queries I've brought to them, the council's staff have listened. WCC is open to change, but it's governed by guidelines set in place which are outside of its control by the SRTS team.' Asked whether he would be voting in favour of the scheme when it came to the EMD next month, Cllr Kehoe replied, 'I 100 per cent will be voting for safety at the school in Kiltealy.' While he will not have any official say in the progress of this scheme, Senator Cathal Byrne has a vested interest in the works given that he is a past pupil of Kiltealy NS. And, like his Fine Gael colleague, he was in favour of the scheme going ahead. 'It's very important that the council facilitated this day so that people can speak directly with the engineers and give their feedback, often, unless you're in front of a map or a drawing and you get the perspective of the engineer, it's hard to find the balance,' he said. 'The focus now has to be on getting safety right in the village,' Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy said that, while there were still some dissenting voices, she had heard a lot of positivity from those who had come to speak to the council's engineers. Currently the school is experiencing a lot of congestion during pick-up and drop-off times. 'People feel that what they're saying today is being taken note of and any of the little suggestions are being taken on board. They feel the council is now listening,' she said. 'There are still some people who don't want any changes to Kiltealy and I can understand where they're coming from too. But it's important that people know the council will listen and that this is the way we should be doing things. 'Since I first became a councillor in 2004 I've had people asking me if the speed in Kiltealy could be addressed and if we could make it safer for children in the school. And this will make it safer for both the children in the school and the people in the village.' Asked whether she would be voting in favour of the scheme in September, the Fianna Fáil councillor had a couple of suggestions of her own, 'I have asked that they put a disabled parking spot at the cemetery and perhaps an age-friendly space,' she said. Having discussed the plans in depth with council staff and engineers, the Kiltealy NS Board of Management issued the following statement regarding the SRTS scheme at their school. "The Board of Management of Kiltealy NS welcomed the opportunity for residents of the community to review the revised plans presented by WCC on Thursday. Where possible these updated proposals reflect the submissions made by community members during the recent public consultation, highlighting the value of public engagement in shaping local developments. 'The public meeting provided a valuable forum for residents to voice concerns about the revised plans. We would like to express our gratitude to WCC engineers who were on hand to respond to queries and offer clarification, ensuring transparency and open dialogue. The open forum format made it easier for all attendees to be heard and to ask questions directly, fostering a more inclusive and constructive discussion. 'We are encouraged by the council's commitment to addressing key issues, particularly those related to speed and congestion outside the school. These revised plans mark a meaningful step toward a solution that balances the needs of all stakeholders. Above all, the Board remains confident that WCC will return with a final plan that considers further feedback received yesterday and places the safety and wellbeing of children at its core, while also meeting the broader needs of the community." After meeting with Mr Hore and outlining his concerns in person, Kieron Doyle, who has objected to the works from the outset, maintained that many of the issues he, and others, had with the scheme were not being looked at. 'There's still no drop-off at the school in the plans,' he noted. 'There's parking spaces opposite the school which are being used by the teachers right now and they're on the hard shoulder. The people who live on that side of the road have a constant issue with sightlines when exiting their homes, it's dangerous for them to come out on to the road. "We asked if the council could consider moving where the teachers park, move them here to the community centre and use those spaces on the hard shoulder for drop-offs. It would only be used temporarily in the mornings and afternoons and would be clear for the residents for the rest of the day.' Cllr John O'Rourke, Bernie Hanrahan and Clinton Donavan, Wexford County Council at the Safe Routes to School public consultation meeting at Kiltealy Community Centre. With regards to those car parks, which are situated at the community centre (250m from the school), the cemetery (200m), and the church (400m), Kieron contended that two of them do not currently meet Health and Safety Authority (HSA) guidelines and therefore need to be upgraded before they can be used for the purposes of 'park and stride'. 'They should have a flow with an exit and an entrance, you would have to remove six spaces to create a flow system, I would like to see that on the plans,' he said. 'They also require lights and an even surface. If there's plans to make revisions to the car park that needs to be presented to the people so they can have a look at it.' Speaking after the event, which saw over 120 people visit the community centre during the five-hours of consultation, Mr Hore said 'The overall sentiment was that people are very much in favour of making the village safer, not only for the children but also for all who live in the village. There was almost unanimous approval for ramps, safe pedestrian crossings, additional public lighting, and footpath improvements. The extent of new footpaths was much reduced following earlier submissions and observations whilst still keeping safe pedestrian movement through the village. The main issue with a number of people was the placing of pencil bollards outside the school itself, preventing the parking of cars on the footpath/road during school drop off. However, this is one of the key tenets of the Safe Routes to Schools Guidance. "Most people attending were very complimentary of the engagement with the public, with the clear drawings, presentations and the detailed conversations with the WCC staff present.' Noting that 'some particularly good suggestions and observations were put forward' during the consultation Mr Hore said WCC will now prepare a final SRTS design for the village. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Examiner
09-08-2025
- Irish Examiner
Waterford's €360,000 Mount Congreve lodge has much to write home about
THE mid-1880s built Hilltop has, effectively been associated with two families over much of its long lifetime – it was owned by the Congreve family and was part of the famed Suirside Mount Congreve Estate, and later came into Power and then Shanahan family hands from the early 1900s, owned and much loved for many years by the late journalist Ella Shanahan. Mount Congreve estate and garden has been left to the Irish State and is now a major visitor attraction Her mother had been born here in 1914, and the family farmed locally with Ella Shanahan training as a cub reporter first with Waterford News and Star, later moving to the Cork Examiner and, later again, to the Irish Times from the 1970s where she worked as Agriculture Correspondent, and finally as London Editor for the Irish Times, until 2002: she died aged just 60 in 2011. Family sale: Michael and Rose Shanahan at Hilltop this summer While she had homes in London, and in Dublin's Sandymount, Waterford's Hilltop was her rooted place, says her brother Michael and sister in law Rose, who still have farming in their blood, running an organic beef farm having in previous decades working an organic goat farm, milking up to 300. Hilltop is now about to leave Shanahan family hands, and selling are John Rohan and Tom Rohan of Sherry FitzGerald who guide the charming lodge/cottage on the Old Kilmeaden Road and the Mount Congreve estate, gardens and diverse accommodation offers at €360,000. Michael Shanahan reckons the 19th century build with lots of internal feature brickwork and arches was modelled on the Swiss cottage style, and it grew from an early, diminutive size to over 1,000 sq ft with three bedrooms (one en suite) in the 1970s when his sister Ella upgraded and extended it. An original open porch is now integrated into the main house, where the main living room and hall have original Victorian encaustic tiles, and there's a stove with back boiler in the main living rooms, with a recently upgraded oil boiler for central heating. Hilltop is on very private grounds of 0.9 of an acre ringed with mature trees, with a three-bay haybarn built in the early 1900s (the name Power is still discernible on the timbers), as well as a stone-built, traditionally whitewashed cow byre with part cobble floor, in three sections with workshop, all with upgrade potential. Also on the grounds is a c 600 building, originally a home to Edmond Power who'd been a butler at Mount Congreve, and who was gifted Hilltop by the Congreves after his wee home was destroyed by fire in 1900. More Power to Hilltop Agent John Rohan says new owners could come from a variety of backgrounds, attracted to a rural lifestyle yet just one km from the greenway, four kms from Waterford city and near the Waterford bypass, near Holy Cross and is on a school bus route for Butlerstown. Estate of grace: Mount Congreve and Gardens. VERDICT: Saol eile at Ella's?
RTÉ News
30-07-2025
- RTÉ News
'Not a shred of evidence' Hamas withholding aid in Gaza- UNICEF
There is "not a shred of evidence" that aid in Gaza is being withheld by Hamas, according to Executive Director at UNICEF Ireland Peter Power. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said that aid organisations "were not in the business of giving humanitarian assistance to terrorists". "I think that trope has been widely debunked at this stage; it's simply not true. Not a shred of evidence has been produced to back that up," he said. Mr Power said UN agencies and other trusted humanitarian organisations have been doing this for around 80 years now and are guided by the "highest principles of humanitarian delivery." "They're not in the business of giving food or other humanitarian assistance to terrorists, and the all the briefings I've received from our own people it tells me, definitively, that that has not happened and that sort of accusation should not be made." He added that 5,000 children in Gaza were severely malnourished and at risk of dying. "In Gaza City, where I've visited, 16.3% of the children are severely acutely malnourished. When a child is severely acutely malnourished, they're at real risk of dying," he said. "We have diagnosed 5,000 children in that category who need urgent medical assistance, but there are hundreds of thousands or more, of course, who are malnourished." Every day, 200 children present at their malnutrition centres with acute malnutrition, he said. Mr Power described the aid airdrops into Gaza as "tokenistic", as it was far short of what was required. "Obviously, any aid whatsoever is welcome. But I should say that airdrops are really tokenistic. "Each parachute can only drop one or two pallets, and a number of pallets would fill a truck. "We need 500 trucks a day, that's what the United Nations system was bringing in during the ceasefire." Man-made starvation crisis Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya yesterday, hoping to secure a bag of flour or some aid, amid worsening humanitarian conditions. A global hunger monitor said yesterday that a famine scenario was unfolding in Gaza, with malnutrition soaring, children under five dying of hunger-related causes and humanitarian access severely restricted. The alert by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) raised the prospect that the man-made starvation crisis in Gaza could be formally classified as a famine, in the hope that this might raise the pressure on Israel to let in far more food. With the international furore over Gaza's ordeal growing, Israel announced steps over the weekend to ease aid access. But the UN World Food Programme said yesterday it was not getting the permissions it needed to deliver enough aid since Israel began humanitarian pauses in warfare on Sunday. Gaza health authorities have been reporting more and more people dying from hunger-related causes. The total stands at 147, among them 88 children, most of whom died in the last few weeks. Images of emaciated Palestinian children have shocked the world, with Israel's strongest ally, US President Donald Trump, declaring that many people were starving. He promised to set up new "food centres". Israel has denied pursuing a policy of starvation. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said yesterday that the situation in Gaza was "tough", but there were lies about starvation there. The war began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas militants stormed across the border into Israeli communities. Israel says the militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people into captivity in Gaza.
