Latest news with #GrahamRichmond
Irish Independent
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘Largest bike pump track in Ireland' prepares for October opening
The project is a collaboration between Wicklow County Council and the Wicklow Town Team, who secured funding of €225,000 for the long-awaited works for a purpose-built track from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme last year. Plans for the pump track date back to 2022 and upon its completion, it is believed this will be the largest BMX pump track in the country. The best-in-class asphalt covered pump track promises to provide many hours of activity and enjoyment for all ages and abilities. It also has the potential to host events and competitions, which may come as welcome news to Ireland's BMX racers. The cohort received a large dose of inspiration last month when Ireland's Carly Hayes from Dublin finished 13th overall in the Girls 16 category at the BMX World Championships in Denmark. It is hoped works on the new Wicklow pump track will be completed by the end of September in time for opening by the end of October. The Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Graham Richmond, said: 'I was down at the site yesterday and it looks great. It will be a wonderful addition to the offerings we have in Wicklow town, and should attract visitors from far and wide. "Hopefully it is the start of more recreational facilities in and around the town, because the town has been short of these sorts of facilities for too long. If you don't provide these types of recreational facilities then it can lead to anti-social behaviour. 'We have had a lot of building taking place in Wicklow town and surrounding areas in recent years, but we need to have the proper infrastructure in place to match this growth. This will be a state-of-the-art pump track, suitable for all levels and age groups. "It will be the largest bike pump track in Ireland and should also help provide Wicklow town with a boost in the numbers of visitors. It's all very positive and hopefully the works should be completed before the end of September, in time for an official opening in October.' Welcoming the development of the pump track, and the short timeline to its completion, Pascal Burke, chair of Wicklow Town Team, acknowledged the great support provided for this project by the Wicklow Municipal District staff and its councillors by saying that this is another great example of what can be achieved for the local community by all interested parties working constructively together. The first full BMX track in Ireland was opened in Ratoath, Co Meath in November 2011. Now there are tracks in Cork, Dublin, Lisburn, and down the road from Wicklow in Courtown. Most recently tracks were opened in Dungarvan, Co Waterford and in the Dodder Valley Park in Dublin. The latter has been described by developers Velosolutions as the "largest full asphalt pump track in Ireland," with a total area of 1,300 square metres. Bike Park Ireland in Tipperary also describes their pump track as the largest in Ireland, but unfortunately the facility has been closed since 2019 due to insurance costs.
Irish Independent
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Dart to Wicklow town project's ever-expanding timeframe raises transparency questions
In 2019, it was announced that the Dart for Wicklow town would be operational by 2023-2024. Timeframes for 2025 and 2026 were also announced, but were subsequently rowed back on. Now it has been revealed that the long-promised Dart service has been delayed again and pushed back to 2030. Reacting to the latest set-back, the cathaoirleach of Wicklow Municipal District, Cllr Graham Richmond said local representatives are being left in an impossible situation with the constant changes to the delivery timeframe. He said: 'At this stage the NTA are making local representatives look like fools. We are not being kept properly informed by the NTA, who will be delivering the project. We are provided with timeframes, which we pass on in good faith, only for the NTA to change the timeframe again and again, and make us look like fools. The NTA has to be held accountable. 'Wicklow County Council organised a meeting with the NTA at last year's monthly meeting in October, and promised timely replies to any questions emailed on to them afterwards. I know Wicklow Municipal District has three outstanding emails set to the NTA which have never been responded to, and in all my dealings with the NTA I have never received a response. 'The NTA just can't be trusted and the people who miss out the most on these constantly changing timeframes are the commuting population of Wicklow town.' Deputy John Brady has described the latest setback as 'simply not good enough' and has urged the Transport Minister to 'get a grasp on this situation'. 'People in Wicklow town have been strung along for years with broken promises about the DART coming to the area. First it was 2023, then it was pushed back several times, and now they are saying it will be at least 2030. This is simply unacceptable,' he said. 'Meanwhile, existing services are packed to the brim. Commuters are forced to stand for long journeys in crowded carriages with irregular and infrequent services. It is completely unsustainable for people going to work, students going to college, and those trying to get to hospital appointments. 'Commuters in Wicklow town and surrounding areas are being failed, day in day out. Despite the increase in population in the area, the infrastructure has not been developed to meet the need. This cannot be allowed to continue. We need proper investment in our rail network, we need additional capacity now – not in years to come.' Cllr Gail Dunne stated: 'This is simply not good enough and our growing town ad its commuters deserve so much better. Where are the Wicklow TDs on this, and where is Simon Harris, the Tánaiste no less, when real investment is needed in his own county? The people of Wicklow are being left behind while empty promises stack up. I'll keep fighting for proper infrastructure, with no more delays.'
Irish Independent
11-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Free books offered to Wicklow children starting school in September
Children leaving pre-school and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library to pick up a book bag and take the opportunity to join the library as part of the 'My Little Library 'initiative. Cllr Graham Richmond, a teacher at East Glendalough School in Wicklow town, is encouraging local children to take-up the opportunity to help them prepare for the start of school. He said: 'The books and resources in the book bag support parents and their children in the transition to primary school. 110,000 free books will be available nationally and books are available in both English and Irish. This is great news for families with young children in Wicklow, who want to take the time over the summer to prepare their children to transition to primary school. 'The bags will be available throughout the summer, and I encourage all families to join their local library in Wicklow if they aren't already members. The children can join their library along with their families, and choose their own books to borrow, all for free. For many children in Wicklow, this could be the start of a lifelong love of reading.' Librarians are keenly aware of the benefits that reading brings to children and library staff across all 13 of Wicklow's libraries and look forward to welcoming lots of new children in the coming months to collect their little bag of books and get their first library card. Cllr Richmond added: 'These books and stories will help each child prepare for this big step. Books are a great way of helping parents support their children with their early language and literacy development. I urge every family with a child starting primary school this September to avail of this initiative and pick up their 'Little Library' book bag from their local library in Wicklow.' Each of the bags contains a book on starting school and a second book on making friends or being comfortable to be yourself. They also include their very own library card and special 'my little library' cardholder. They also come complete with a range of resources for parents/children to support the transition to primary school, including a copy of the Rufus Handwashing Storybook.
