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Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Louth politician condemns ‘shameful' attacks on Indian community
Drogheda Independent A Louth political representative has strongly condemned recent random attacks on members of Ireland's Indian community, describing them as 'shameful and unacceptable'. Aontú's Louth rep Michael O'Dowd said he was 'appalled' and 'angry' at reports of unprovoked assaults, insisting that Indian people living in Ireland deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Farmers will oppose any severance of farms or compulsory purchase orders for SLNCR greenway
These were raised at a meeting with officials from Leitrim and Sligo County Councils as well as ARUP Project Consultants in Sligo last week. In a joint statement, the Chair of Sligo IFA Michael O'Dowd and Leitrim IFA Chair Liam Gilligan said the IFA made it very clear that Greenway projects like the SLNCR should maximise the use of public lands and minimise the impact on private lands, in line with the Government Strategy for the Future Development of Greenways and the Greenways Code of Best Practice. 'This is clearly not the case with the proposed Sligo/Leitrim Greenway as the vast majority of the lands on the emerging proposed route are not public or state-owned lands and is in fact farmland as confirmed to IFA by the Project Consultants. This is unacceptable and extremely challenging for the landowners.' The Sligo and Leitrim IFA County Chairs made it very clear to the project promoters that IFA is opposed to any severance of farms or compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) for amenity projects like Greenways. Sligo IFA Chair Michael O'Dowd said 'The IFA pointed out to the County Councils that the proposed emerging preferred corridor for the Sligo/Leitrim Greenway will predominantly take private lands and have the potential to sever and divide a large number of the farms and this is totally unacceptable. Severance and division of farms will not work and must be reviewed by the Councils'. Leitrim IFA Chair Liam Gilligan said the proposed emerging corridor put forward by the Councils at the meeting is to follow the old railway route. However, in practice farmers now farm and use most of the land where the abandoned railway line was. The reality is this is no longer a rail line and is now part of active farms and may include houses and farmyards. Some farmers have registered their ownership of the land where the railway line previously ran. Liam Gilligan said, 'the old, abandoned railway line is long gone, and this land is now active farmland, with some in private ownership, making it unsuitable for a Greenway'. He encouraged all farmers along the proposed emerging route of the old railway to check out the ownership situation and if they need to register their ownership, they should take steps to do so. As part of the Code of Practice for Greenways, project promoters can contribute a sum of €750 plus Vat towards the vouched legal fees incurred by farmers in regularising their title to the standard required. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more IFA made a submission to the Councils previously on the Greenway highlighting a number of additional farmer concerns including privacy, safety and security, anti-social behaviour, litter, animal disease and wildlife, and other issues. Representatives from ARUP and both county councils updated the IFA on the project and the emerging preferred corridor, which is up to 200m wide. Over the next 18 months, the project promoters will be working to reduce the design of the corridor down to 8-10m wide. It is the intention to apply for planning permission in Q1/Q2 2027. Currently the project is on public consultation number three, which is set to close on May 27th. Over the next 12 to 18 months the project promoters have said they will engage closely with all landowners. The IFA said it is very important that farmers and landowners clearly outline their views, objections and concerns about the Greenway during the current consultation and also in direct contact with the project promoters. The web site for the project is Michael O' Dowd and Liam Gilligan said the meeting provided a good opportunity for the IFA to outline the serious concerns of farmers and also provided the project team with an in-depth understanding of the fears and concerns of farmers regarding the proposed Greenway and how it could impact very significantly on their property and businesses. Leitrim County Council, in partnership with Sligo County Council, Cavan County Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, under the auspices of transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Department for Infrastructure (Dfl) are developing the Sligo, Leitrim, Northern counties Railway (SLNCR) Greenway. The proposed project is to provide a Greenway from Sligo town to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, passing through Ballysadare, Collooney, Ballintogher, Dromahair, Manorhamilton, Glenfarne, Blacklion, Belcoo and Letterbreen on the way.
Agriland
12-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Use of farmland for proposed north-west greenway not ‘acceptable'
Farmer representatives have highlighted what they describe as 'very serious concerns' regarding the proposed Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties Railway (SLNCR) greenway at a meeting with officials from Leitrim and Sligo County Councils. ARUP project consultants also attended the meeting organised by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) in Sligo recently. Leitrim County Council, in partnership with Sligo County Council, Cavan County Council, and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, under the auspices of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Department for Infrastructure (Dfl) are developing the SLNCR greenway. The proposed project is to provide a greenway from Sligo town to Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, passing through: Ballysadare; Collooney; Ballintogher; Dromahair; Manorhamilton; Glenfarne; Blacklion; Belcoo; Letterbreen. In a joint statement, the chair of Sligo IFA, Michael O'Dowd and Leitrim IFA chair Liam Gilligan said they made it very clear that greenway projects like the SLNCR should maximise the use of public lands and minimise the impact on private lands. They emphasised that this in line with the government Strategy for the Future Development of Greenways and the Greenways Code of Best Practice. 'This is clearly not the case with the proposed Sligo/Leitrim greenway as the vast majority of the lands on the emerging proposed route are not public or state-owned lands and is in fact farmland, as confirmed to IFA by the project consultants,' the two IFA chairs stated. 'This is unacceptable and extremely challenging for the landowners.' The Sligo and Leitrim IFA chairs also outlined that the association is opposed to any severance of farms or compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) for amenity projects like greenways. Sligo IFA chair Michael O'Dowd said: 'The IFA pointed out to the county councils that the proposed emerging preferred corridor for the Sligo/Leitrim greenway will predominantly take private lands and have the potential to sever and divide a large number of the farms and this is totally unacceptable. 'Severance and division of farms will not work and must be reviewed by the councils.' Meanwhile, Leitrim IFA chair Liam Gilligan said the proposed emerging corridor put forward by the councils at the meeting is to follow the old railway route. However, he said that in practice, farmers now farm and use most of the land where the abandoned railway line was. They claim that it is no longer a rail line but rather is part of active farms and may include houses and farmyards. Some farmers have registered their ownership of the land where the railway line previously ran, according to the farmer representatives. Gilligan continued: 'The old, abandoned railway line is long gone, and this land is now active farmland, with some in private ownership, making it unsuitable for a greenway.' He has encouraged all farmers along the proposed emerging route of the old railway to check out the ownership situation and if they need to register their ownership, they should take steps to do so. As part of the Code of Practice for Greenways, project promoters can contribute a sum of €750 plus VAT towards the vouched legal fees incurred by farmers in regularising their title to the standard required, according to the IFA. Further concerns about greenway The association made a submission to the councils previously on the greenway, highlighting a number of additional farmer concerns including privacy, safety and security, anti-social behaviour, litter, animal disease, and wildlife. Representatives from ARUP and both county councils updated IFA on the project and the emerging preferred corridor, which the IFA said is up to 200m wide. It's understood that over the next 18 months, the project promoters will be working to reduce the design of the corridor down to 8-10m wide. It is the intention to apply for planning permission in the first half of 2027. Currently the project is on its third public consultation which is set to close on Tuesday, May 27. Over the next 12 to 18 months the project promoters have said they will engage closely with all landowners. The IFA said it is very important that farmers and landowners clearly outline their views, objections and concerns about the greenway during the current consultation and also in direct contact with the project promoters.
Irish Independent
30-04-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Louth has highest number of medical card patients waiting for a GP
According to Aontú representative, Michael O'Dowd, the HSE's assignment system only tracks patients with medical cards, meaning the true scale of the issue is likely far greater. Private patients are not included in the figures and must find a GP independently, often without success and are reported to be facing significant access issues but remain invisible in the system. O'Dowd added that the shortage of available GPs is having a direct impact on emergency services. 'The effects of this shortage are now spilling over into Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital's A&E department, where patients are increasingly presenting with routine healthcare needs — such as infections, medication renewals, and mental health support — that should be managed at primary care level. This inappropriate and desperate use of emergency services adds to already unmanageable hospital pressures, slows down care for real emergencies, and risks poorer outcomes for all.' The issue comes against the backdrop of population growth in the county. Drogheda, Ardee, and Dundalk have all seen rising numbers in recent years, but there has been no matching expansion in GP capacity or infrastructure. Communities are being left behind while government planning lags years behind the reality on the ground. "People who can't get a GP have nowhere else to go," said Aontú activist Michael O'Dowd. "They're turning up at A&E in Our Lady of Lourdes for basic care because the government has failed to act. It's not just a planning failure — it's a failure of responsibility to the people of Louth. Without urgent intervention, the situation will only deteriorate further." However, the HSE has said that there 'has been no notable increase in presentations to the Emergency Department at Our Lady of Lourdes' and that they are actively working in collaboration with the DOH, IMO & ICGP on a range of measures to increase the GP Workforce and in developing a sustainable model of General Practice for the future. 'Patient choice of doctor has been and remains a bedrock principle of the GMS Scheme. The HSE endeavours to accommodate patients to register with their GMS doctor of choice,' said a spokesperson. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Department of Health's office said the Government remains committed to expanding GP capacity nationally, as set out in the Programme for Government. According to the Department, a Strategic Review of General Practice is currently underway, led by the Department of Health and supported by the Health Service Executive (HSE). With input from key stakeholders, the review is examining a range of issues affecting general practice including GP training, GP capacity, Out of Hours services reform, the eHealth Agenda, and the financial support model for general practice. The goal is to identify the changes needed to improve the current system of GP care as part of a primary care-focused health service. The Department highlighted that general practice in Ireland has seen significant new investment in recent years, noting that HSE payments to GPs increased from €560 million in 2019 to approximately €807 million in 2023, a rise of €247 million, or 44pc. Significant increases in investment in general practice have been provided for, under the 2019 and 2023 GP Agreements, providing for increased fees for participating General Medical Service Scheme (GMS) GPs, new and increased practice supports, and the introduction of new services including the GP Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme. These measures make general practice in Ireland a more attractive career choice for doctors. 'Several measures have also been taken in recent years to increase the attractiveness of general practice in Ireland as a career, to increase the number of GP graduates and to recruit GPs from abroad. GPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore, may establish practices at a place of their own choosing,' said the Department. Training capacity under the GP Training Scheme has also been expanded, with 350 new GP trainee places available from 2024, representing an 80pc increase since 2019. As a result, the number of GP graduates has increased in recent years and will increase further in the coming years. ADVERTISEMENT Recruitment initiatives aimed at bringing GPs from abroad, particularly to rural and underserved areas, are ongoing under the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Rural GP Programme. As of November 2023, 119 IMG GPs were in practice and funding has been provided to recruit up to 250 more GPs to Ireland this year. While plans are in motion, many in Louth are still caught between growing demand and a healthcare system struggling to keep up the pace.
