FERMOY SWIMMING CLUB HOSTS ITS BIG DAY

Fermoy Swimming Club invitational gala will be held on this Saturday, May 16 and, while swimming clubs from all over Munster will be gathering with a very competitive spirit in mind, there are high hopes that the Fermoy Club will retain the Garda Siochana Perpetual Cup.

The swimming club has cited the logistical assistance of the gardai as something that is very much appreciated, with thanks going to Chief Superintendent Kieran McGann and Garda Andrew Geary for all their support.

The club is also exceedingly grateful to Herlihy’s Centra for the refreshments supplied for the occasion.

Chairman of Fermoy Swimming Club, Donal Clancy said: “Without the support of the local community, in particular An Garda Siochana on the day, this would be a very difficult event to run. Their support is very much appreciated. In addition the refreshments supplied by Centra are more than welcome.”

Community Garda Andrew Geary wants to commend all the sporting organisations within the Fermoy District for their hard work and effort and especially in this case the Fermoy Swimming Club.

“I know through my friends within the town and the garda station, the extraordinary sacrifices the members of the club put in on a daily basis. I wish to especially commend the members who attend training for a few hours every morning before they even go to school. The Fermoy Swimming Club and its annual gala are great to foster a friendly and competitive atmosphere where our young people can achieve their potential,” Garda Geary said.

“Herlihy’s Centra, Fermoy is proud to be associated with this annual event and also recognises the great work being done by the Fermoy Swimming Club,” John O’Sullivan said on behalf of Herlihy’s Centra.

Warm up for the event will be commencing at 9am sharp and all swimmers have been diligently preparing for this exciting event.

FLOOD RELIEF NEWS ‘POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM’

A letter from the OPW stating that work will begin on the Fermoy North drainage scheme this summer has been described as ‘political opportunism’ by Fermoy town mayor, Tadhg O’Donovan.

The letter from the OPW stated that the tendering process was ongoing and that the closing date for tenders was April 29. The project is expected to be completed within 12 months. Cllr O’Donovan recently led a deputation from the town council to meet with the minister in the Dail.

“It was agreed that the town council would ask a team of consultants to carry out a study to provide an alternative to the removal of the weir. The minister also confirmed that any work to the weir would be part of the overall flood relief plan,” he said.

“As of today the consultants in question were not able to confirm when this study would be completed. Yet now the OPW would have us believe that all the tenders are received for the flood relief plan.

"It is incumbent of the OPW to come clean and secure clarity for the people of Fermoy, who for years have been denied flood relief and in the recent past have been faced with the threat of removal of the town’s weir.”

Reacting to Mr O’Donovan’s comments, a spokesperson for the OPW told The Avondhu: “The Office of Public Works was asked by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to look at options regarding the weir in Fermoy as part of the overall Flood Relief Scheme.

"OPW agreed to this but only on the condition that any works to be undertaken should be agreed by the department, Fermoy Town Council and the local rowing club. Agreement has not yet been reached between all parties so it is likely that work on the weir will not go ahead as part of the scheme.”

ONCE OFF OPPORTUNITY TO WALK NEW MOTORWAY

Sam Hyland of Mitchelstown Lions Club has been on to The Avondhu to promote Sunday’s walk along the new M8 motorway.

“With the Fermoy-Mitchelstown section of the M8 due to open in just over a week the sponsored walk organised by the lions club for this Sunday is a once-off opportunity to experience the new motorway as a pedestrian.”

“The road markings are in place, the central bollards are constructed and there are just a few finishing touches before the cars, buses and HGVs start using the latest piece of infrastructure in the coming weeks,” he said.

“Sponsorship cards are being completed by the young and the not so young, indeed anyone keen to raise a few euro for local worthy causes can still get a sponsorship card and bring it along on Sunday.”

Sam continued, “However, everyone is invited along on Sunday whether you have a card or not. We would like this to be seen as a fun walk for all the family in a safe environment. Remember, there will be no traffic to worry you and there is unlimited parking on the unused part of the motorway adjoining the start point at the Ballybeg interchange.”

The start is at the interchange half way between Mitchelstown and Glocca Maura on the old N8. The walk is scheduled to commence at 2pm and participants can traverse a 2.5 mile stretch of motorway from there to the overbridge on the Ballyporeen road before taking the return route back to the start point to collect their vehicles.

The gardai will be in attendance and stewards will assist with parking.

SHIPTON TO MEET COUNCIL OVER FUTURE OF SHOPPING CENTRE

Mayor of Fermoy Tadhg O’Donovan said he is ‘delighted’ that the developers of a proposed €100million retail centre that was denied planning permission in the town have agreed to meet the town council to discuss the future of the project.

A request for the meeting came following a special summit of the town council at which the five councillors present voted unanimously to discuss the options available for the site of the proposed shopping centre with the Shipton Group.

The town mayor said that all is not lost and that this latest move is confirmation of the Shipton Group’s willingness to pursue the development on the €22.5million Cork Marts site.

Cllr O’Donovan added that, as mayor, he was “determined to ensure that no stone was left unturned until the 8.5 acre site, that continues to lie idle, was developed to realise its potential and that of Fermoy town.”

DOWN TO THE WIRE IN SOUTH LIMERICK

Predictions that the 2009 local election in the Kilmallock electoral area will be one of the closest fought for several decades are being given credence by a canvassing campaign, the extent of which has not been seen in the region for many years.

In what constitutes a complete clean out, none of the four sitting councillors, John Gallahue (FF), Paddy McAuliffe (FF), Eddie Creighton (PD) and Jim Houlihan (FG) are going forward for re-election.

At the time of going to press twelve candidates had declared to contest the election in the Kilmallock area. Flying the flag for Fianna Fail are John Clifford, Bruff, Eddie Ryan, Galbally, Mary Burke, Hospital, Mike Donegan, Kilmallock and Richard O’Donoghue of Granagh/Ballingarry.

The former Limerick All Star hurler and Kilmallock publican, Mike Houlihan, will lead the charge for Fine Gael with Bill O’Donnell of Herbertstown and Ger Mitchell, the Hospital based auctioneer also on the ticket.

The Kilfinane schoolteacher, James Heffernan, who garnered a very respectable vote in the last general election, will represent Labour, while Richard Young will represent Sinn Fein from Banogue.

There are two independents in the field, James Coll of Bruree and the well known Ballylanders GAA referee, James Hickey, who will be hoping to capture a significant slice of the Gallahue vote in the southern region of the Kilmallock electoral area. There are some intriguing battles in prospect.

Who, for example, will gain most votes in the area under the Galtees (Ballylanders, Galbally, Kilbehenny/Anglesboro)? The battle here will be intense.

Eddie Ryan, the Galbally dairy farmer, and part-time constituency secretary to Deputy Niall Collins, will feel confident that he can gain from Gallahue’s absence this time around while independent candidate, James Hickey, is also mounting a strong campaign backed by the county council chairman and some Fianna Fail activists in Ballylanders, who initially seemed hesitant in coming on board the independent platform.

Heffernan too will feature strongly in this area and is seen as a strong bet to head the poll by seasoned observers. Mike Houlihan, a nephew of the highly respected sitting Fine Gael councillor, Jim Houlihan, is another front runner but this vote could split between the former Limerick hurler and Billy O’Donnell, a nephew of the former Irish Government minister and MEP, Tom O’Donnell.

Gerard Mitchell, the Hospital auctioneer, has also been added to the FG ticket and his tussle with Mary Burke, a sister of current Defence Minister, Willie O’Dea, promises to be a lively affair. Elsewhere, Richard O’Donoghue (FF) of Granagh/Ballingarry, currently believed to be flavour of the month with the Collins dynasty, and Mike Donegan, Kilmallock (FF) are also seen as being likely to poll well.

John Clifford, a sitting Bruff electoral area Fianna Fail councillor, hampered by the loss of a significant slice of home territory due to the constituency revision, will also be very much in the shake up.

The smart money is on Heffernan to head the poll, a view that he’s unlikely to be too happy with so far in advance of the election. Houlihan should certainly take a seat given his high profile and uncle Jim’s popularity.

There’s a feeling also that Clifford will struggle but eventually hold on to his place on the council, unless the backlash against the Government is of catastrophic proportions. That leaves two seats up for grabs where it seems likely that even fifth and sixth preferences will count.

Will the wind at Fine Gael backs carry either O’Donnell or Mitchell over the line for a second seat? Can Eddie Ryan at last make the breakthrough? – Is Mary Burke’s relationship with O’Dea a hindrance or a help? How much of Gallahue’s vote will James Hickey capture?

These are all intriguing questions that even the most seasoned of political campaigners are finding it impossible to answer as election day beckons in three weeks time.

HANLEY’S TAKE ON SHIPTON AND THE FERMOY HOTEL SAGA

Independent Fermoy town councillor and a candidate for the forthcoming local elections, Michael J Hanley, this week expresses some strong views on the proposed Shipton retail development and the ill-fated hotel plan.

“Once again, it is important to state that the elected members of Fermoy Town Council have no say whatsoever in planning matters, in between the adoption of the town development plan and the creation of a new development plan. The council must adopt a new development plan every six years. It is at the discussion and submission stage of a proposed new development plan that the councillors can have an input.

“Once the latest development plan has been adopted, it becomes the responsibility of the planners, in terms of its interpretation.

“Six years is a long time and proposed developments crop up from time to time, some of which can throw up potentially contentious issues. This is why it is all the more essential that the long term view and vision for the future growth of our town is identified and then supported by the councillors and planners together. All the more reason then why the elected councillors must share a common goal for the town’s future, which equally must be shared by the community in general.

“It was inevitable that once the mart had left town, a site of that size was going to be a prize asset. It was also exciting to see that the developers involved express such faith in the town, to pay the price they did for the site, and then their plan for its development.

"However when the proposed plan was presented and was on a scale similar to Mahon in Cork, that presented a serious difficulty for those who had genuine concerns, which has unfortunately resulted in the very public involvement of those councillors who plainly chose not to read the warning signs and instead opted for confrontation.

“Let’s put some of the nonsensical statements that emanated from the most recent town council discussion to bed. Balancing public misunderstanding of the role of the councillors in planning matters, by just stopping short of naming the individuals who made observations about the size of the proposed development, is just plain mischievous.

“Equally, the notion that An Bord Pleanala would reject the proposals just because of the viewpoint of some local individuals is absurd and in any event An Board Pleanala vindicated the council planner’s decision.

“Another remark made at the same meeting and I quote, ‘It is a dark day for Fermoy when the town planners said no’. This kind of reaction and the other remarks are meaningless. The planners said no to the original presentation and no more than that. I would be quite confident that an alternative development can happen on the site in question, which will have the approval of the town planners.

“The more principled approach to this particular saga would have been, in the interest of public harmony, for the image of our town, to have respected the planners decision and encouraged the planners and the developers to get back to the drawing board. To witness the depth of the involvement of some councillors in the approach taken was not a pleasant sight and sends out the wrong signal to future investors.

“In the light of the foregoing remark, one must revisit the unfortunate hotel debacle. Here was a situation where a developer was prepared to give us a badly needed large -sized hotel in the most beautiful of surrounds. Rightly, local people rejected the design and the number of houses associated with it. However, the project received planning permission but was rejected by An Bord Pleanala.

“Now, we must ask the following questions relation to the Shipton issue and the hotel development.

“A feasibility study was demanded for the hotel project. Why was there no such request for the Shipton project? When An Bord Pleanala refused permission for the proposal where was the special meeting to discuss the refusal?

“In the case of the hotel project, the developer accepted the planning refusal and sought a meeting with the councillors to agree with them a more suitable project for the site in question. He was denied such a request.

“This event, to me, was an act of the utmost irresponsibility and clearly illustrates a most serious deficit of goodwill and intention amongst a majority of the much-commented on majority of five at town council.

“To me the need for a new hotel cries out loud and clear since the activities of a former developer in our town. We need a large hotel to begin the hunt for a share of the tourism product, and to assist in the revival of our commercial potential and the resultant job creation.

“It is important to understand too in the debate about retail development. Retail cannot survive on its own. It must be partnered with the presence of a successful productive jobs sector.

“Voters for the local elections should not be taken in by all this bleating about the so-called loss of the Shipton project. If I was the developer, given what has happened in the intervening months since the project was first mooted, I most certainly would wait for the present financial/job loss disaster to work its way through before I would return to the fray.”