Monday, 19 March 2012
Friday, 9 March 2012
Councillors demand full investigation into huge landslide in Bray
Sinn Féin councillors John Brady and Rossa Murray have called for a full investigation into a massive landslide adjacent to a development that is taking place at Brook House School on the Herbert Road in Bray.
The construction site is on the high ground which overlooks the publicly owned Rehills Land beside the river Dargle. The huge landslide has seen hundreds of tonnes of rock and soil plough down through a protected forest which has a tree preservation order in place and has left the area very unstable and prone to further
landslides.
Speaking after raising the issue at the Town Council meeting in Bray Councillor Brady Said "This issue was brought to my attention by frightened residents who felt their homes shake when the massive landslide took place.
I have visited the site and was shocked at the scale of the landslide, a large section of the forest was literately washed away with the landslide, and hundreds of tonnes of rock and soil gave way and ended up on the Rehills land which is down below. It’s a miracle nobody was killed on the site"
Cllr Brady continued "It appears large volumes of excavated soil from the adjoining development which is beside Brook House School was been dumped on top of the hill and under the weight the entire hill gave way. The force of the landslide that ensued uprooted and carried large mature trees several hundred metres before being deposited on the land below.
The forest is destroyed, it is supposed to be preserved with a tree preservation order, however that had little effect in this case, everything in the way was swept away with the force of the landslide"
Cllr Rossa Murray went onto say "There are a number of issues here. It appears that there has been a blatant breech in the planning permission that was granted for the development adjacent to the landslide and this has caused the serious problem, these needs to be followed up by enforcement immediately by the council.
There are also health and safety issues, the site in its current condition is not
secure and is totally unstable and the possibility of a further landslide is real, I have reported the site to the Health and Safety Authority such are my concerns about this development and its condition"
Cllr Brady concluded "At the council meeting I requested a full engineers report on this serious situation, I have also requested a remedial plan for the area and report from the planners. It appears that this incident was down irresponsible activities on site, this has resulted in the destruction of a protected wooded area which has deposited hundreds of tonnes of debris on publicly owned land.”
We could have been dealing with an entirely different incident here, thankfully nobody was injured, however there must be answers to the questions as to how this happened and all costs removing the debris and restoring the area must be carried by the owners of the development".
The construction site is on the high ground which overlooks the publicly owned Rehills Land beside the river Dargle. The huge landslide has seen hundreds of tonnes of rock and soil plough down through a protected forest which has a tree preservation order in place and has left the area very unstable and prone to further
landslides.
Speaking after raising the issue at the Town Council meeting in Bray Councillor Brady Said "This issue was brought to my attention by frightened residents who felt their homes shake when the massive landslide took place.
I have visited the site and was shocked at the scale of the landslide, a large section of the forest was literately washed away with the landslide, and hundreds of tonnes of rock and soil gave way and ended up on the Rehills land which is down below. It’s a miracle nobody was killed on the site"
Cllr Brady continued "It appears large volumes of excavated soil from the adjoining development which is beside Brook House School was been dumped on top of the hill and under the weight the entire hill gave way. The force of the landslide that ensued uprooted and carried large mature trees several hundred metres before being deposited on the land below.
The forest is destroyed, it is supposed to be preserved with a tree preservation order, however that had little effect in this case, everything in the way was swept away with the force of the landslide"
Cllr Rossa Murray went onto say "There are a number of issues here. It appears that there has been a blatant breech in the planning permission that was granted for the development adjacent to the landslide and this has caused the serious problem, these needs to be followed up by enforcement immediately by the council.
There are also health and safety issues, the site in its current condition is not
secure and is totally unstable and the possibility of a further landslide is real, I have reported the site to the Health and Safety Authority such are my concerns about this development and its condition"
Cllr Brady concluded "At the council meeting I requested a full engineers report on this serious situation, I have also requested a remedial plan for the area and report from the planners. It appears that this incident was down irresponsible activities on site, this has resulted in the destruction of a protected wooded area which has deposited hundreds of tonnes of debris on publicly owned land.”
We could have been dealing with an entirely different incident here, thankfully nobody was injured, however there must be answers to the questions as to how this happened and all costs removing the debris and restoring the area must be carried by the owners of the development".
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Pathway to work is the pathway to poverty
Responding to the publication of Fine Gael and Labour's ‘Pathways to Work’ Wicklow Sinn Féin county councillor John Brady said “Pathways to Poverty” or "Pathways to Emigration" would be more apt titles because the government is not creating jobs for the unemployed to move into, unemployment nationally is 14.2%, here in Wicklow there are 12,541 out of work and it is continuing to grow .
He said “There are hundreds of thousands of people desperate to get off our dole queues and find work. This document offers them very little hope and instead threatens to cut their meagre incomes.
Much of the governments announcement is a rehash of provisions put in place by the previous government and objected to at the time by the Labour Party.
“And, without any new training places, new investment in education or new jobs, the plan is no better than waffle. It is aimed at building up the hopes of those languishing on dole queues only to dash them when they can’t deliver.
The only option now for Wicklow people is to join the 40,000 people emigrating every year, nearly 3,000 a month are packing their bags and heading abroad in the hope of finding work.
This main objective of this plan is to see dole payments cut sooner in the hope people will emigrate quicker"
“There are a couple of very big elephants in the room today. No.1 there is no work - the European Commission's Vacancy Monitor shows that there are currently 50 jobseekers for every single vacancy in this state.
No. 2 there are no additional resources being allocated for the activation supports, profiling etc.
No. 3 the Minister is cutting a further €1 billion from her Department’s Budget by the end of 2014 over and above those cuts announced in the Budget just passed.
Cllr Brady concluded “Just like the Budget the emphasis of the governments announcement is on punishing the unemployed.
He said “There are hundreds of thousands of people desperate to get off our dole queues and find work. This document offers them very little hope and instead threatens to cut their meagre incomes.
Much of the governments announcement is a rehash of provisions put in place by the previous government and objected to at the time by the Labour Party.
“And, without any new training places, new investment in education or new jobs, the plan is no better than waffle. It is aimed at building up the hopes of those languishing on dole queues only to dash them when they can’t deliver.
The only option now for Wicklow people is to join the 40,000 people emigrating every year, nearly 3,000 a month are packing their bags and heading abroad in the hope of finding work.
This main objective of this plan is to see dole payments cut sooner in the hope people will emigrate quicker"
“There are a couple of very big elephants in the room today. No.1 there is no work - the European Commission's Vacancy Monitor shows that there are currently 50 jobseekers for every single vacancy in this state.
No. 2 there are no additional resources being allocated for the activation supports, profiling etc.
No. 3 the Minister is cutting a further €1 billion from her Department’s Budget by the end of 2014 over and above those cuts announced in the Budget just passed.
Cllr Brady concluded “Just like the Budget the emphasis of the governments announcement is on punishing the unemployed.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Commerce forges neighbourly bonds
Blessed by cultural similarities and helped by change in Northern Ireland, trade and investment between Ireland and the UK has been quietly revolutionised in recent years
TODAY, A WALK down Dublin’s Grafton Street differs little from its UK counterparts. For some, the changes signal cultural and commercial homogenisation. For others, it is a reflection of the increasing ties that bind both countries together.
Last year, Ireland sold €13.8 billion of goods to Britain and Northern Ireland, up 2 per cent on the previous year despite the economic difficulties – making the UK Ireland’s third most important export market, behind the US and, surprisingly, Belgium. Trade in services is even larger.
In reality, the statistics do not do justice to the relationship.
The US leads the export list, but the bulk of those sales are transactions between Irish-based subsidiaries of multinationals and their headquarters.
Belgium occupies second position because it is the hub for much of the world’s trade in pharmaceuticals – of which Irish-based “Big Pharma”, such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and a host of others exported nearly €2 billion worth of product in February alone.
As Conservative prime minister David Cameron never tires of saying, Ireland remains Britain’s fifth biggest export market, larger in 2010 than Brazil, Russia, India and China, the so-called BRIC countries, but also, though this is not usually mentioned, Japan.
The ties between the Republic and Northern Ireland are no less important – €1.3 billion worth of goods went north last year, while the Republic is home for 9.5 per cent of Northern Ireland’s total sales, but 75 per cent of all exports by its small and medium-sized firms.
Exports from the Republic were up 2 per cent on the year before, despite losses in previous years and continuing economic woes, while imports from the UK were up by 6 per cent to €13.6 billion, though the trade in services was sharply down in both directions.
FOR GILES O’NEILL, Enterprise Ireland director for UK and Northern Europe, the relationship is symbiotic: “For some companies in each country, it is their best export market. For many others, it is their export market, full stop.”
“Many companies are increasingly seeing the other country as being part of their home market. You can get on a ‘red-eye’ flight and be at an 8.30 meeting in Dublin or London and still get home that night,” says O’Neill.
Denis Harrington of PwC is the British-born son of Irish emigrants, but he has now lived in Ireland for more than a decade, and agrees with O’Neill: “British companies coming to Ireland don’t have to change much. So much is familiar. I hear few complaints. I am struggling to think of one, maybe nit-picking things like VAT classifications. In any event, a lot of the companies, retailers, for example, put in local management, while area management may be part of the Irish diaspora,” he says.
Traditionally, Ireland exported food and drink. Today, it is still the UK’s third largest supplier – behind the Netherlands and France – of food, selling €3.2 billion worth of product last year, 43 per cent of all such exports from the Republic.
Equally, the Republic is the UK’s top export market for its food and drink, while British supermarkets, such as Tesco, but also other non-food British retailers, have taken an increasingly large share of the Irish retail market.
The Republic is a profitable market. “You do hear anecdotally that the Irish market remains profitable. Price differentials between Ireland and their home market can be very significant,” says Harrington.
The two-way trade is worth €51 billion annually. Half of all tourists coming to the Republic come from Britain – often, but far from exclusively, one-time emigrants or their offspring – while one-third of all foreign investment into the Republic emanates from there.
The beef trade remains “the old reliable”, with 232,000 tonnes to be sold this year, making Ireland the UK’s leading supplier, with a 60 per cent market share – but accounting for half of all such sales from Ireland this year.
However, small Irish companies such as Glenilen Farm in Drimoleague in west Cork are also winning contracts to supply processed foods into the British market, on the back of securing smaller deals initially with Tesco in Ireland.
Having earned its spurs with the UK multiple supplying yoghurts, cheesecakes and desserts since 2008, Glenilen Farm recently won a contract to supply 100 of Tesco’s British stores with €500,000 worth of cheesecakes, employing five staff.
Dublin company Kooky Dough (a company that once rejected an investment offer on Dragons’ Den) that makes cookie dough for home-baking, has agreed a €550,000 deal to supply two new products for Tesco’s own-brand range, creating 10 jobs.
Construction, too, has its opportunities. Four years ago, Enterprise Ireland started to work with firms that had gained experience coping with major infrastructural contracts in Ireland to help them take those skills abroad.
Helped by major projects such as the Olympics and Crossrail in London, some have made significant progress. Last year, £750 million (€860 million) worth of such business was done, up 4 per cent on 2009. “In a market that was largely down, that is quite incredible,” says Giles O’Neill.
Aidan Gough of InterTradeIreland, which encourages North-South business, says the lessons in winning cross-border business are the same ones that will, if learned properly, serve them well in Britain.
Such companies are run by people who “have a million other things to do, like human resources, and they need help that is not bureaucratic, they want people to come in who have been there, who have done it”, he says.
THE LESS-VISIBLE TRADE in services is worth even more than the trade in goods, though the Republic’s figures have fallen back significantly from the 2007 peak of €15.75 billion, dropping by three percentage points in 2008 and even more sharply, by 12 points, a year later.
Nearly €4 billion of the 2009 trade comprised computer software and services, from firms such as Druid Software in Wicklow, which offers telecommunications software, to Daon, which combats identity fraud. Equally, Ireland is increasingly hosting the servers needed for “cloud computing”.
Meanwhile, €164 million worth of legal services were supplied to UK clients, with more than €20 million of that coming from Arthur Cox’s offices in London, while media companies such as Harmonia and Windmill Lane in Dublin are already doing business there.
Renewable energy could be one of the biggest export hopes, believes Enterprise Ireland’s Giles O’Neill on foot of the UK’s need to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 34 per cent on 1990 levels and to generate 15 per cent of its energy needs from green sources.
Energy regulator Ofgem predicts that up to £200 billion (€230 billion) will have to be spent over the next 10 to 15 years on power plants and other energy infrastructure to ensure that the UK both meets its climate-change commitments and avoids shortages.
Enterprise Ireland already has a team in Glasgow, seeking to carve out opportunities for Irish firms from first minister Alex Salmond’s ambitions to make Scotland the “Saudi Arabia of green energy”, using its wind and tides.
“A huge infrastructure has to be built: for every £1 million spent offshore you have to spend £10 million on land. We are looking to partner Irish companies with Scottish ones. Culturally, we like doing business with them and they like doing it with us,” he told The Irish Times.
THE ESB ALREADY has major UK interests. Having opened a 350MW gas-powered plant in Corby in Northamptonshire in 1993, it now controls Northern Ireland Electricity, runs a gas-powered station in Derry, wind turbines in Co Tyrone and a Southampton power plant.
Meanwhile, a subsidiary, ESB Novusmodus, has invested in Airvolution Energy, a new venture that will develop, construct and operate small onshore wind projects, while it has done the same in Bioflame, a developer of small-scale 2.5MW generation plants. Irish companies, pressed to find exports because of a sluggish climate at home, must have “something to offer” if they are going to break into the UK, says Giles O’Neill: “ ‘Me, too’ products won’t do it for them.”
“Sure, there are differences,” says O’Neill. “We tend to be a bit more relaxed. But Irish companies tend to sharpen up when they start looking abroad. Britain is not Germany or France, but firms do need to be aware that it is different. In my experience, companies pick it up very quickly.”
The issue now is not just Irish firms’ ability, but, also the state of the British economy in the years ahead, facing as it does the impact of billions worth of public spending cuts. “The British economy is still quite fragile,” O’Neill cautions.
Ireland’s own difficulties have made exporters’ jobs harder, says Neil Gibson, economic adviser at Ernst and Young: “There is a perception that Ireland has lost credibility, a belief that Ireland bluffed its success. The reality is that it didn’t, but it has to convince people again.”
TODAY, A WALK down Dublin’s Grafton Street differs little from its UK counterparts. For some, the changes signal cultural and commercial homogenisation. For others, it is a reflection of the increasing ties that bind both countries together.
Last year, Ireland sold €13.8 billion of goods to Britain and Northern Ireland, up 2 per cent on the previous year despite the economic difficulties – making the UK Ireland’s third most important export market, behind the US and, surprisingly, Belgium. Trade in services is even larger.
In reality, the statistics do not do justice to the relationship.
The US leads the export list, but the bulk of those sales are transactions between Irish-based subsidiaries of multinationals and their headquarters.
Belgium occupies second position because it is the hub for much of the world’s trade in pharmaceuticals – of which Irish-based “Big Pharma”, such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and a host of others exported nearly €2 billion worth of product in February alone.
As Conservative prime minister David Cameron never tires of saying, Ireland remains Britain’s fifth biggest export market, larger in 2010 than Brazil, Russia, India and China, the so-called BRIC countries, but also, though this is not usually mentioned, Japan.
The ties between the Republic and Northern Ireland are no less important – €1.3 billion worth of goods went north last year, while the Republic is home for 9.5 per cent of Northern Ireland’s total sales, but 75 per cent of all exports by its small and medium-sized firms.
Exports from the Republic were up 2 per cent on the year before, despite losses in previous years and continuing economic woes, while imports from the UK were up by 6 per cent to €13.6 billion, though the trade in services was sharply down in both directions.
FOR GILES O’NEILL, Enterprise Ireland director for UK and Northern Europe, the relationship is symbiotic: “For some companies in each country, it is their best export market. For many others, it is their export market, full stop.”
“Many companies are increasingly seeing the other country as being part of their home market. You can get on a ‘red-eye’ flight and be at an 8.30 meeting in Dublin or London and still get home that night,” says O’Neill.
Denis Harrington of PwC is the British-born son of Irish emigrants, but he has now lived in Ireland for more than a decade, and agrees with O’Neill: “British companies coming to Ireland don’t have to change much. So much is familiar. I hear few complaints. I am struggling to think of one, maybe nit-picking things like VAT classifications. In any event, a lot of the companies, retailers, for example, put in local management, while area management may be part of the Irish diaspora,” he says.
Traditionally, Ireland exported food and drink. Today, it is still the UK’s third largest supplier – behind the Netherlands and France – of food, selling €3.2 billion worth of product last year, 43 per cent of all such exports from the Republic.
Equally, the Republic is the UK’s top export market for its food and drink, while British supermarkets, such as Tesco, but also other non-food British retailers, have taken an increasingly large share of the Irish retail market.
The Republic is a profitable market. “You do hear anecdotally that the Irish market remains profitable. Price differentials between Ireland and their home market can be very significant,” says Harrington.
The two-way trade is worth €51 billion annually. Half of all tourists coming to the Republic come from Britain – often, but far from exclusively, one-time emigrants or their offspring – while one-third of all foreign investment into the Republic emanates from there.
The beef trade remains “the old reliable”, with 232,000 tonnes to be sold this year, making Ireland the UK’s leading supplier, with a 60 per cent market share – but accounting for half of all such sales from Ireland this year.
However, small Irish companies such as Glenilen Farm in Drimoleague in west Cork are also winning contracts to supply processed foods into the British market, on the back of securing smaller deals initially with Tesco in Ireland.
Having earned its spurs with the UK multiple supplying yoghurts, cheesecakes and desserts since 2008, Glenilen Farm recently won a contract to supply 100 of Tesco’s British stores with €500,000 worth of cheesecakes, employing five staff.
Dublin company Kooky Dough (a company that once rejected an investment offer on Dragons’ Den) that makes cookie dough for home-baking, has agreed a €550,000 deal to supply two new products for Tesco’s own-brand range, creating 10 jobs.
Construction, too, has its opportunities. Four years ago, Enterprise Ireland started to work with firms that had gained experience coping with major infrastructural contracts in Ireland to help them take those skills abroad.
Helped by major projects such as the Olympics and Crossrail in London, some have made significant progress. Last year, £750 million (€860 million) worth of such business was done, up 4 per cent on 2009. “In a market that was largely down, that is quite incredible,” says Giles O’Neill.
Aidan Gough of InterTradeIreland, which encourages North-South business, says the lessons in winning cross-border business are the same ones that will, if learned properly, serve them well in Britain.
Such companies are run by people who “have a million other things to do, like human resources, and they need help that is not bureaucratic, they want people to come in who have been there, who have done it”, he says.
THE LESS-VISIBLE TRADE in services is worth even more than the trade in goods, though the Republic’s figures have fallen back significantly from the 2007 peak of €15.75 billion, dropping by three percentage points in 2008 and even more sharply, by 12 points, a year later.
Nearly €4 billion of the 2009 trade comprised computer software and services, from firms such as Druid Software in Wicklow, which offers telecommunications software, to Daon, which combats identity fraud. Equally, Ireland is increasingly hosting the servers needed for “cloud computing”.
Meanwhile, €164 million worth of legal services were supplied to UK clients, with more than €20 million of that coming from Arthur Cox’s offices in London, while media companies such as Harmonia and Windmill Lane in Dublin are already doing business there.
Renewable energy could be one of the biggest export hopes, believes Enterprise Ireland’s Giles O’Neill on foot of the UK’s need to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 34 per cent on 1990 levels and to generate 15 per cent of its energy needs from green sources.
Energy regulator Ofgem predicts that up to £200 billion (€230 billion) will have to be spent over the next 10 to 15 years on power plants and other energy infrastructure to ensure that the UK both meets its climate-change commitments and avoids shortages.
Enterprise Ireland already has a team in Glasgow, seeking to carve out opportunities for Irish firms from first minister Alex Salmond’s ambitions to make Scotland the “Saudi Arabia of green energy”, using its wind and tides.
“A huge infrastructure has to be built: for every £1 million spent offshore you have to spend £10 million on land. We are looking to partner Irish companies with Scottish ones. Culturally, we like doing business with them and they like doing it with us,” he told The Irish Times.
THE ESB ALREADY has major UK interests. Having opened a 350MW gas-powered plant in Corby in Northamptonshire in 1993, it now controls Northern Ireland Electricity, runs a gas-powered station in Derry, wind turbines in Co Tyrone and a Southampton power plant.
Meanwhile, a subsidiary, ESB Novusmodus, has invested in Airvolution Energy, a new venture that will develop, construct and operate small onshore wind projects, while it has done the same in Bioflame, a developer of small-scale 2.5MW generation plants. Irish companies, pressed to find exports because of a sluggish climate at home, must have “something to offer” if they are going to break into the UK, says Giles O’Neill: “ ‘Me, too’ products won’t do it for them.”
Culturally, we like doing business with them and they like doing
Only a fraction of the companies who make opening approaches to Enterprise Ireland go further, but the preparations necessary should not deter.“Sure, there are differences,” says O’Neill. “We tend to be a bit more relaxed. But Irish companies tend to sharpen up when they start looking abroad. Britain is not Germany or France, but firms do need to be aware that it is different. In my experience, companies pick it up very quickly.”
The issue now is not just Irish firms’ ability, but, also the state of the British economy in the years ahead, facing as it does the impact of billions worth of public spending cuts. “The British economy is still quite fragile,” O’Neill cautions.
Ireland’s own difficulties have made exporters’ jobs harder, says Neil Gibson, economic adviser at Ernst and Young: “There is a perception that Ireland has lost credibility, a belief that Ireland bluffed its success. The reality is that it didn’t, but it has to convince people again.”
Saturday, 11 February 2012
New Skoda garage comes to Wicklow Town
ŠKODA announces Sinnott Autos as new Wicklow dealership
New ŠKODA dealership to recruit an additional 10 staff in the coming months.
Their Open Day took place Saturday, 8th October, with test drives of brand new 4X4 range.
3rd October 2011 - ŠKODA Ireland is delighted to announce that Sinnott Autos of Wicklow Town is the latest addition to the growing network of ŠKODA retailers around Ireland.
The family-run business, employing 28 members of staff, has been operating in Wicklow Town for 24 years. As a result of the announcement Sinnott Autos aim to expand its workforce by recruiting an additional ten employees in the coming months.
The Company has an extensive local client base built on a reputation for quality, value and customer service.
Sinnott Auto’s new impressive showroom and forecourt facility in Wicklow Town will showcase the full ŠKODA range, including the new 4X4 range which was launched at the Ploughing Championships at the end of September.
To celebrate the opening of the new dealership, Sinnotts held an Open Day on Saturday, 8th of October.
As an added incentive, those who took a test drive received a free window deicing pack which will be particularly useful in the months ahead. In addition, there was a draw for a trip to Prague to the value of €1,000.
Sinnott Autos are also providing some special opening offers including free Satellite Navigation systems with all ŠKODA Yeti, Octavia and Superb models and 0% Finance on all Fabia and Roomster models ordered for 2012 delivery.
Speaking on the announcement, Stephen Healy General Manager of Sinnott Autos, “We are delighted to announce the opening of our new ŠKODA dealership in Wicklow. ŠKODA is one of Ireland’s fastest growing and most attractive brands offering excellent value for money across an ever expanding range. We are very proud to represent ŠKODA in the area and welcome everyone to call by and share in the ŠKODA experience”
Also present at the opening was John Donegan, Head of Sales and Marketing, Deputy Director – ŠKODA Ireland who added “The addition of Sinnott Autos is a real asset to our retail network.
The current market is difficult but the staff at Sinnott Auto’s have an abundance of expertise, energy and enthusiasm. I look forward to a positive and successful relationship well into the future.”
Thanks to all who entered our competition... and the winners of our Skoda deicing packs were: Debra Walker, Arklow, Christine Downey, Wicklow town and Monika Sztenderska, Wicklow town.
New ŠKODA dealership to recruit an additional 10 staff in the coming months.
Their Open Day took place Saturday, 8th October, with test drives of brand new 4X4 range.
3rd October 2011 - ŠKODA Ireland is delighted to announce that Sinnott Autos of Wicklow Town is the latest addition to the growing network of ŠKODA retailers around Ireland.
The family-run business, employing 28 members of staff, has been operating in Wicklow Town for 24 years. As a result of the announcement Sinnott Autos aim to expand its workforce by recruiting an additional ten employees in the coming months.
The Company has an extensive local client base built on a reputation for quality, value and customer service.
Sinnott Auto’s new impressive showroom and forecourt facility in Wicklow Town will showcase the full ŠKODA range, including the new 4X4 range which was launched at the Ploughing Championships at the end of September.
To celebrate the opening of the new dealership, Sinnotts held an Open Day on Saturday, 8th of October.
As an added incentive, those who took a test drive received a free window deicing pack which will be particularly useful in the months ahead. In addition, there was a draw for a trip to Prague to the value of €1,000.
Sinnott Autos are also providing some special opening offers including free Satellite Navigation systems with all ŠKODA Yeti, Octavia and Superb models and 0% Finance on all Fabia and Roomster models ordered for 2012 delivery.
Speaking on the announcement, Stephen Healy General Manager of Sinnott Autos, “We are delighted to announce the opening of our new ŠKODA dealership in Wicklow. ŠKODA is one of Ireland’s fastest growing and most attractive brands offering excellent value for money across an ever expanding range. We are very proud to represent ŠKODA in the area and welcome everyone to call by and share in the ŠKODA experience”
Also present at the opening was John Donegan, Head of Sales and Marketing, Deputy Director – ŠKODA Ireland who added “The addition of Sinnott Autos is a real asset to our retail network.
The current market is difficult but the staff at Sinnott Auto’s have an abundance of expertise, energy and enthusiasm. I look forward to a positive and successful relationship well into the future.”
Thanks to all who entered our competition... and the winners of our Skoda deicing packs were: Debra Walker, Arklow, Christine Downey, Wicklow town and Monika Sztenderska, Wicklow town.
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Cold Snap 2012
An inclement start to 2010 follows a windy and icy finish to 2009 as road and rail services were disrupted yesterday due to the continuing cold snap.
Hazardous road conditions were reported across the country with flooding in counties Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow while high winds meant trees and debris added to the difficulties for motorists.
The warnings to motorists to drive carefully came as the National Roads Authority once again raised the issue of a shortage of grit for the country’s roads.
Train services were also affected yesterday. All services to and from Heuston Station in Dublin were delayed by up to 40 minutes yesterday due to flooding on the line at Hazelhatch in Co Kildare. Services between Limerick and Ennis Stations had to be suspended due to flooding there, with Iarnrod Éireann operating bus transfers for passengers.
Motorists faced the toughest conditions yesterday but the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Garda Síochána welcomed the news the number of road deaths in the country had fallen to an historic low in 2009. As of yesterday morning there had been 240 deaths on Irish roads, down from 279 in 2008. The RSA said the figure was still too high and that every death was a "devastating" tragedy for the families of those concerned, in addition to the injuries caused to people in accidents.
RSA chief executive Noel Brett said: "We are absolutely delighted the downward trend has continued for four years in a row and the credit for that must go to road users the length and breadth of the country."
He said speed cameras, a reduced drink-driving limit, reforms of the licensing system and more gardaí monitoring the roads would help lower the number further in 2010.
Weather conditions are likely to prove extremely challenging in the coming days, however, as Met Éireann warned that temperatures could fall to -10C in some parts of the country.
Gerald Fleming of the Met Service also said some parts of the country may not experience temperatures above freezing for a number of days.
"It is a more prolonged cold spell than we would be used to in the past few years," he said.
Polar air sweeping over the country will mean daytime temperatures might struggle to climb above freezing, while nighttime temperatures could fall to as low as -10C.
The midlands are likely to experience the worst of the cold spell, but plummeting temperatures are likely to affect most of the country. In some parts of the north west, north and east coast areas there will also be blustery, wintry showers to contend with.
"Tomorrow and the next few days will be bitterly cold," Mr Fleming said.
"It is a pronounced cold snap and through next week it will continue with cold and wintry showers."
While the whole country faces freezing weather, it is likely to be much drier for many parts than of late, although frost is still likely to make travel by road difficult.
Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/prolonged-cold-snap-to-continue-into-the-new-year-108801.html#ixzz1lPEzEuns
Hazardous road conditions were reported across the country with flooding in counties Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow while high winds meant trees and debris added to the difficulties for motorists.
The warnings to motorists to drive carefully came as the National Roads Authority once again raised the issue of a shortage of grit for the country’s roads.
Train services were also affected yesterday. All services to and from Heuston Station in Dublin were delayed by up to 40 minutes yesterday due to flooding on the line at Hazelhatch in Co Kildare. Services between Limerick and Ennis Stations had to be suspended due to flooding there, with Iarnrod Éireann operating bus transfers for passengers.
Motorists faced the toughest conditions yesterday but the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Garda Síochána welcomed the news the number of road deaths in the country had fallen to an historic low in 2009. As of yesterday morning there had been 240 deaths on Irish roads, down from 279 in 2008. The RSA said the figure was still too high and that every death was a "devastating" tragedy for the families of those concerned, in addition to the injuries caused to people in accidents.
RSA chief executive Noel Brett said: "We are absolutely delighted the downward trend has continued for four years in a row and the credit for that must go to road users the length and breadth of the country."
He said speed cameras, a reduced drink-driving limit, reforms of the licensing system and more gardaí monitoring the roads would help lower the number further in 2010.
Weather conditions are likely to prove extremely challenging in the coming days, however, as Met Éireann warned that temperatures could fall to -10C in some parts of the country.
Gerald Fleming of the Met Service also said some parts of the country may not experience temperatures above freezing for a number of days.
"It is a more prolonged cold spell than we would be used to in the past few years," he said.
Polar air sweeping over the country will mean daytime temperatures might struggle to climb above freezing, while nighttime temperatures could fall to as low as -10C.
The midlands are likely to experience the worst of the cold spell, but plummeting temperatures are likely to affect most of the country. In some parts of the north west, north and east coast areas there will also be blustery, wintry showers to contend with.
"Tomorrow and the next few days will be bitterly cold," Mr Fleming said.
"It is a pronounced cold snap and through next week it will continue with cold and wintry showers."
While the whole country faces freezing weather, it is likely to be much drier for many parts than of late, although frost is still likely to make travel by road difficult.
Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/prolonged-cold-snap-to-continue-into-the-new-year-108801.html#ixzz1lPEzEuns
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Ireland braced for more tremors after Donegal earthquake
There may be more tremors to come reports the Belfast telegraph after Donegal was hit by a mini-earthquake yesterday.
The quake, measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale, rocked an area of 30 square kilometres between Letterkenny and Buncrana in Donegal shortly after 1am.
Scores of people reported a loud rumbling noise lasting up to nine seconds. However, the tremor was too small to cause any damage.
"The last time this happened two years ago there were three of them within a few weeks of each other," said Brendan O'Donoghue, a physics teacher at St Columba's College in Stranorlar. His pupils were yesterday studying readings taken on the school seismometer.
"The earthquake hit Co Donegal around three minutes before 1am, peaking at 30 seconds past the hour. It's slightly bigger than the last quake in the same area two years ago which was 1.9 on the Richter scale," Mr O'Donoghue said.
"It has certainly caused quite a stir in the school and gives the students here renewed interest in geology."
There were no reports of any damage with the epicentre pinpointed between Rathmullan and Portsalon on the Fanad peninsula.
"It was a deafening noise and the house definitely shook," said Mary McGinley (33) from Letterkenny. "I thought at first it was thunder and then I looked outside and at that time it was a calm night with a clear sky."
Donegal sits on the Lennan faultline which runs on through Scotland and on to Norway.
David Galloway, from the British Geological Survey which picked up the earthquake, said it was "quite a moderate quake for Ireland".
He said it happened around 3km beneath the earth's surface and said while it was not possible to definitively say whether or not there would be more, he added: "There is a possibility of aftershocks, especially with the history of earthquakes in Donegal in recent years."
Dr Tom Blake of the Irish National Seismic Network wants to contact anyone who witnessed the quake.
"Anything above 2.0 on the Richter Scale could be regarded as a minor earthquake. We have had reports about the tremor and we would like to hear from people first-hand experiences of the tremor," he said.
The quake, measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale, rocked an area of 30 square kilometres between Letterkenny and Buncrana in Donegal shortly after 1am.
Scores of people reported a loud rumbling noise lasting up to nine seconds. However, the tremor was too small to cause any damage.
"The last time this happened two years ago there were three of them within a few weeks of each other," said Brendan O'Donoghue, a physics teacher at St Columba's College in Stranorlar. His pupils were yesterday studying readings taken on the school seismometer.
"The earthquake hit Co Donegal around three minutes before 1am, peaking at 30 seconds past the hour. It's slightly bigger than the last quake in the same area two years ago which was 1.9 on the Richter scale," Mr O'Donoghue said.
"It has certainly caused quite a stir in the school and gives the students here renewed interest in geology."
There were no reports of any damage with the epicentre pinpointed between Rathmullan and Portsalon on the Fanad peninsula.
"It was a deafening noise and the house definitely shook," said Mary McGinley (33) from Letterkenny. "I thought at first it was thunder and then I looked outside and at that time it was a calm night with a clear sky."
Donegal sits on the Lennan faultline which runs on through Scotland and on to Norway.
David Galloway, from the British Geological Survey which picked up the earthquake, said it was "quite a moderate quake for Ireland".
He said it happened around 3km beneath the earth's surface and said while it was not possible to definitively say whether or not there would be more, he added: "There is a possibility of aftershocks, especially with the history of earthquakes in Donegal in recent years."
Dr Tom Blake of the Irish National Seismic Network wants to contact anyone who witnessed the quake.
"Anything above 2.0 on the Richter Scale could be regarded as a minor earthquake. We have had reports about the tremor and we would like to hear from people first-hand experiences of the tremor," he said.
Troubled mortgage holder reprimanded for shopping in Tesco instead of Lidl
A bank official in Co Wicklow reprimanded a troubled mortgage holder for shopping in Tesco instead of Lidl, according to an extraordinary claim by TD Stephen Donnelly today.
Donnelly, elected as an Independent in the Wicklow constituency last year, has written a column for the Sunday Independent on Ireland's economic woes and the part played by the bailed-out banks in the day-to-day financial problems of the country's embattled population.
His article contained the extraordinary claim that one of his constituents was given a slap on the wrist by an official of an unnamed bank for failing to change their grocery shopping habits.
He wrote, "The banks have vast financial and legal resources which borrowers do not. They also have the law. The law says that your bank can repossess your house when you fall into arrears, and that a judge cannot take into account any mitigating circumstances. It says that your bank can move to bankrupt you for a debt as low as €1900.
"Your bank can extract every last penny from you. The ones I have asked, including AIB and Bank of Ireland, have no guidelines in place for what they will leave you with, for what qualifies as a 'reasonable standard of living'.
"One Wicklow local I spoke to recently was chastised by a bank official who spotted a bill for shopping which had been done in Tesco when there was a Lidl nearby."
With one in 12 mortgage holders in arrears of three months or more, and little immediate
Donnelly, elected as an Independent in the Wicklow constituency last year, has written a column for the Sunday Independent on Ireland's economic woes and the part played by the bailed-out banks in the day-to-day financial problems of the country's embattled population.
His article contained the extraordinary claim that one of his constituents was given a slap on the wrist by an official of an unnamed bank for failing to change their grocery shopping habits.
He wrote, "The banks have vast financial and legal resources which borrowers do not. They also have the law. The law says that your bank can repossess your house when you fall into arrears, and that a judge cannot take into account any mitigating circumstances. It says that your bank can move to bankrupt you for a debt as low as €1900.
"Your bank can extract every last penny from you. The ones I have asked, including AIB and Bank of Ireland, have no guidelines in place for what they will leave you with, for what qualifies as a 'reasonable standard of living'.
"One Wicklow local I spoke to recently was chastised by a bank official who spotted a bill for shopping which had been done in Tesco when there was a Lidl nearby."
With one in 12 mortgage holders in arrears of three months or more, and little immediate
Friday, 27 January 2012
Medical card
A WICKLOW County Councillor has slammed the delays experienced by many
constituents seeking to have their medical cards issued and renewed.
Cllr. Pat Fitzgerald told this newspaper that he has been inundated with calls from concerned people across South Wicklow who have been waiting for months at a time for their cards.
According to the Fianna Fáil councillor the average waiting period should be around 15 working days, however constituents have been waiting much longer than this on many occasions.
'I am aware of some applicants waiting for months. I contacted the HSE directly on several occasions and the reasons for non issuing ranged from lost files to non receipt of information. In some cases the information required had been forwarded at least three times,' he said.
'If applications were within the guidelines as laid out and provided all the information sought there are no reasons for issuing of cards to be delayed other than financial,' he added.
Cllr. Fitzgerald paid tribute to medical practitioners and pharmacists without whom he said some medical card applicants would be left without much needed medication.
Cllr. Pat Fitzgerald told this newspaper that he has been inundated with calls from concerned people across South Wicklow who have been waiting for months at a time for their cards.
According to the Fianna Fáil councillor the average waiting period should be around 15 working days, however constituents have been waiting much longer than this on many occasions.
'I am aware of some applicants waiting for months. I contacted the HSE directly on several occasions and the reasons for non issuing ranged from lost files to non receipt of information. In some cases the information required had been forwarded at least three times,' he said.
'If applications were within the guidelines as laid out and provided all the information sought there are no reasons for issuing of cards to be delayed other than financial,' he added.
Cllr. Fitzgerald paid tribute to medical practitioners and pharmacists without whom he said some medical card applicants would be left without much needed medication.
Oscar nominees filmed in Wicklow
TWO films partly filmed in County Wicklow are in the running to receive
Academy Awards.
'Albert Nobbs', which was filmed over seven weeks in Wicklow and Dublin in 2010, stars Glenn Close and has received three nominations - best actress for Close, best supporting actress for Janet Mcteer, and best makeup.
The film is set in 19th century Ireland and also stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson and Maria DoyleKennedy.
63-year-old Close plays woman who passes as a man to work and survive in Dublin in 1898
Meanwhile, 11-minute long 'Pentecost' is in the live action short category. It was also filmed in Dublin as well as on location in Glencree.
The film is set in 1977 when 11-year-old Damian Lynch is called in at the last moment to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in his local parish.
Pentecost was written and directed by Peter Mcdonald and made by Dublin's Emu productions.
'Albert Nobbs', which was filmed over seven weeks in Wicklow and Dublin in 2010, stars Glenn Close and has received three nominations - best actress for Close, best supporting actress for Janet Mcteer, and best makeup.
The film is set in 19th century Ireland and also stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson and Maria DoyleKennedy.
63-year-old Close plays woman who passes as a man to work and survive in Dublin in 1898
Meanwhile, 11-minute long 'Pentecost' is in the live action short category. It was also filmed in Dublin as well as on location in Glencree.
The film is set in 1977 when 11-year-old Damian Lynch is called in at the last moment to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in his local parish.
Pentecost was written and directed by Peter Mcdonald and made by Dublin's Emu productions.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
New online law will force sites to remove personal data
EMBARRASSING, inaccurate or simply personal data will have to be deleted from
the internet and company databases if consumers ask, under a new set of European
laws.
Businesses will also have a new duty to inform regulators and anyone affected by data breaches “as soon as possible”. Commentators and lawyers have warned that in the case of large scale hacks, informing millions of users that their data is at risk could impose an unreasonable burden on firms, and risks dissuading the development of innovative services.
The UK office of the International Chamber of Commerce said there would be benefits and costs to the new legislation. UK chief executive Stephen Pattison said that “Some of the proposed rules—such as the “right to be forgotten”—raise immediate concerns about compliance costs; but more fundamentally we need to understand how the legislation might impact on the development and deployment of new technologies and business models.
"Data is increasingly used to allow business to deliver new and improved services to their customers," Mr Pattison said. "In protecting individual privacy, we must be careful not to undermine what is now a key driver of competition, growth and innovation. It’s not clear that the Commission’s proposals strike the right balance”.
Mr Pattison added that EU plans should also be drafted in collaboration with other international legislation. The EU claims that current laws are often conflicting and cost businesses a total of nearly £2bn a year.
Quentin Archer, a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, said that “The draft regulation will greatly increase the cost of compliance for business, particularly in the UK where we have enjoyed a relatively relaxed but pragmatic, business-friendly regime to date.”
Marc Dautlich, a partner rival firm Pinsent Masons, added that “While the new law aims to protect personal data some of the concepts will be extremely expensive for internet businesses to implement. For example the ‘Right to be Forgotten’ would mean that users could demand that social media networks such as Facebook erase any of their comments, not just from the network itself but the entire web, which would involve unprecedented co-operation with search engines to achieve.”
The move will mean that social networks such as Facebook or Twitter
will have to comply with users' requests to delete everything they have ever
published about themselves online. It will also mean that consumers will be able
to force companies that hold data about them, such as for Tesco's Clubcard, to
remove it.
The changes, which could take more than two years
to implement, also include a new EU power to
fine companies up to 2 per cent of their global turnover if they breach the
rules.
Businesses will also have a new duty to inform regulators and anyone affected by data breaches “as soon as possible”. Commentators and lawyers have warned that in the case of large scale hacks, informing millions of users that their data is at risk could impose an unreasonable burden on firms, and risks dissuading the development of innovative services.
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane
Reding, however, claimed her “proposals will help build trust in online
services because people will be better informed about their rights and more in
control of their information”.
Current rules were put in place in 1995. “Today
vast amounts of personal data are transferred and exchanged, across continents
and around the globe in fractions of seconds," said Commissioner Reding. "The
protection of personal data is a fundamental right for all Europeans, but
citizens do not always feel in full control of their personal data."
The new laws will apply to any company offering
services in an EU nation. They aim to make it easier for users to move their
data from one service to another, such as from Facebook to LinkedIn, and will
force companies and organisations to be clear about how they are using data. Any
body with more than 250 employees will also be compelled to appoint a member of
staff as a data protection officer.
The UK office of the International Chamber of Commerce said there would be benefits and costs to the new legislation. UK chief executive Stephen Pattison said that “Some of the proposed rules—such as the “right to be forgotten”—raise immediate concerns about compliance costs; but more fundamentally we need to understand how the legislation might impact on the development and deployment of new technologies and business models.
"Data is increasingly used to allow business to deliver new and improved services to their customers," Mr Pattison said. "In protecting individual privacy, we must be careful not to undermine what is now a key driver of competition, growth and innovation. It’s not clear that the Commission’s proposals strike the right balance”.
Mr Pattison added that EU plans should also be drafted in collaboration with other international legislation. The EU claims that current laws are often conflicting and cost businesses a total of nearly £2bn a year.
Quentin Archer, a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, said that “The draft regulation will greatly increase the cost of compliance for business, particularly in the UK where we have enjoyed a relatively relaxed but pragmatic, business-friendly regime to date.”
Marc Dautlich, a partner rival firm Pinsent Masons, added that “While the new law aims to protect personal data some of the concepts will be extremely expensive for internet businesses to implement. For example the ‘Right to be Forgotten’ would mean that users could demand that social media networks such as Facebook erase any of their comments, not just from the network itself but the entire web, which would involve unprecedented co-operation with search engines to achieve.”
Warning To Road Users
Gardai and the Road Saftety Authority are urging all road users to be careful as the weather deteriorates over the coming hours.
MET Eireann have issued the following forcast, Mild and windy this afternoon with rain spreading from the west to all parts. The rain will turn persistent or heavy for a time and winds gust between 75 and 100 km/h in exposed areas at first. Drier, clearer and colder weather will gradually spread from the west in the late afternoon or early evening and the winds veer westerly and ease. Highs of 9 to 11 Celsius.
Cold tonight with ground frost inland and risk of icy patches. Some wintry showers of rain, hail or sleet spreading from west overnight and falling as snow on some hills and mountains. Min temps 0 to 3 C
MET Eireann have issued the following forcast, Mild and windy this afternoon with rain spreading from the west to all parts. The rain will turn persistent or heavy for a time and winds gust between 75 and 100 km/h in exposed areas at first. Drier, clearer and colder weather will gradually spread from the west in the late afternoon or early evening and the winds veer westerly and ease. Highs of 9 to 11 Celsius.
Cold tonight with ground frost inland and risk of icy patches. Some wintry showers of rain, hail or sleet spreading from west overnight and falling as snow on some hills and mountains. Min temps 0 to 3 C
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Wicklow County Childcare Committee training and events
WCCC IS currently planning its training and events programme for the Spring
and early Summer of 2012.
It'll include the 'regular' Occupational, Refresher and Paediatric First Aid courses, as well as, Manual Handling and Fire Warden training for those working in childcare.
Other courses being considered are Irish for pre-schoolers, a basic 'Be comfortable with your Computer' and, a beginning focus on the objectives of the national Literacy and Numeracy Strategy will include Speech and Language Development and Story Sack courses, and a Professional Development Day for childcare providers with four themes covered. The QAP for Childminders will also be run, as usual.
And WCCC is delighted to welcome David Coleman back to Co Wicklow in May, presenting his unique view of, and very helpful tips about, how to be the best parent you can be – and not give yourself a hard time. Full details will be available in the pro-
It'll include the 'regular' Occupational, Refresher and Paediatric First Aid courses, as well as, Manual Handling and Fire Warden training for those working in childcare.
Other courses being considered are Irish for pre-schoolers, a basic 'Be comfortable with your Computer' and, a beginning focus on the objectives of the national Literacy and Numeracy Strategy will include Speech and Language Development and Story Sack courses, and a Professional Development Day for childcare providers with four themes covered. The QAP for Childminders will also be run, as usual.
And WCCC is delighted to welcome David Coleman back to Co Wicklow in May, presenting his unique view of, and very helpful tips about, how to be the best parent you can be – and not give yourself a hard time. Full details will be available in the pro-
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Arklow firm creates offshore wind farm vessel
Arklow Marine Services has today revealed its new 20-metre aluminum catamaran, which has been designed and built specifically for servicing offshore wind farms in the UK. The catamaran cost stg£1.7m to create and created 10 new jobs in the Wicklow region during the build and fit out.
Enterprise Ireland's R&D Fund partly financed the development of the vessel.
Arklow Marine Services is now building another catamaran, which is due for delivery in July 2012, and also destined for the export offshore wind market.
The company itself has a colourful history as it is a fifth-generation family business that was established in Arklow in 1864. Today, it is led by directors Billy Tyrrell, a naval architect, and John Tyrrell, a marine engineer.
Arklow Marine Services' core business is the design and construction of aluminum and steel boats, such as passenger ferries and trawlers.
The company set its sights on the offshore wind marketplace when it secured a contract with UK-based Gardline Shipping after it detected a gap in the marketplace for a new generation of vessels for offshore wind farms.
Back in 2010, nine offshore wind farm sites were announced for UK coastal waters in January 2010. The UK itself is planning to invest more than stg£160bn over the next 30 years in developing its offshore wind energy resources.
Industry sources have also predicted that up to €30bn of investment in Irish offshore wind farms could also be a possibility in sparking new commercial opportunities for companies such as Arklow Marine Services to diversify their portfolios.
Billy Tyrrell said the building of the new vessel required the development of new ship-building processes at the firm. "Building this vessel has taken our business to a new level," he said.
Tom Kelly, head of Cleantech with Enterprise Ireland, spoke today about how innovation will be central to the future international competitiveness of Irish firms.
Enterprise Ireland's R&D Fund partly financed the development of the vessel.
Arklow Marine Services is now building another catamaran, which is due for delivery in July 2012, and also destined for the export offshore wind market.
The company itself has a colourful history as it is a fifth-generation family business that was established in Arklow in 1864. Today, it is led by directors Billy Tyrrell, a naval architect, and John Tyrrell, a marine engineer.
Arklow Marine Services' core business is the design and construction of aluminum and steel boats, such as passenger ferries and trawlers.
The company set its sights on the offshore wind marketplace when it secured a contract with UK-based Gardline Shipping after it detected a gap in the marketplace for a new generation of vessels for offshore wind farms.
Back in 2010, nine offshore wind farm sites were announced for UK coastal waters in January 2010. The UK itself is planning to invest more than stg£160bn over the next 30 years in developing its offshore wind energy resources.
Industry sources have also predicted that up to €30bn of investment in Irish offshore wind farms could also be a possibility in sparking new commercial opportunities for companies such as Arklow Marine Services to diversify their portfolios.
Billy Tyrrell said the building of the new vessel required the development of new ship-building processes at the firm. "Building this vessel has taken our business to a new level," he said.
Tom Kelly, head of Cleantech with Enterprise Ireland, spoke today about how innovation will be central to the future international competitiveness of Irish firms.
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Wicklow man faces Extradition from England
A Wicklow man will appear in court in England tomorrow in connection with the death of a man in the county over two years ago.
Last week, police in East Anglia arrested the man, who is thought to be in his 40s, under a European Arrest Warrant, garda sources have confirmed.
The man, who has an address in Birmingham, is being held in custody in connection with the death of another man.
On Monday, he will be brought before the courts on extradition proceedings and investigators hope to bring him to Ireland to face trial.
Last week, police in East Anglia arrested the man, who is thought to be in his 40s, under a European Arrest Warrant, garda sources have confirmed.
The man, who has an address in Birmingham, is being held in custody in connection with the death of another man.
On Monday, he will be brought before the courts on extradition proceedings and investigators hope to bring him to Ireland to face trial.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
History of Wicklow
The earliest recorded mention of Wicklow is in the writings of the
Greek cartographer Ptolemy in around 130
AD. The site of today's town of Wicklow is thought to be Manapia on his
charts.
Long-distance travel was very dangerous and expensive at this time. As a result, Ptolemy could not travel to Wicklow to make a map of the area.
Instead, he used sources in the library of Alexandria in Egypt, which came from ancient Greek astronomers, mathematicians and geographical writers.
The Origin of the Name Wicklow
The Irish name for Wicklow is Cill Mhantáin. The story goes that when St. Patrick tried to land his ships in the area, his party was attacked by locals. One of St. Patrick's party had a tooth knocked out in the fight. Then, when he returned later to set up a church there, he was given the name Manntach (toothless one). After that, the area was called 'Cill Mhantáin', meaning 'church of the toothless one'.
The Normans, who came to dominate the area more than 600 years later, preferred the non-Gaelic placename. They used the name Wicklow, which survives to this day.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Spate Of Burglaries Across Co Wicklow
A SPATE OF burglaries took place across County Wicklow on Thursday leading
Gardaí to believe that the culprits drove across the county hitting various
homes en route.
The incidents occurred between 12p.m. and 8p.m. and saw homes targeted in Grangecon, Kiltegan, Tinahely and Aughrim.
At least three males are believed to have been involved. A 08 registered silver Ford Focus was seen in the Aughrim area around 8p.m. and is suspected of being involved in the burglaries.
Small items of jewellery are reported to have been stolen from some of the properties.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information to contact their local station.
The incidents occurred between 12p.m. and 8p.m. and saw homes targeted in Grangecon, Kiltegan, Tinahely and Aughrim.
At least three males are believed to have been involved. A 08 registered silver Ford Focus was seen in the Aughrim area around 8p.m. and is suspected of being involved in the burglaries.
Small items of jewellery are reported to have been stolen from some of the properties.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information to contact their local station.
Hydroelectricity Project
REFURBISHMENT WORKS at Ireland's only pumped storage hydroelectricity plant
near the Wicklow Gap are near completion.
The €76 million works are considered of the upmost importance in the development of sustainable renewable energy potential of Ireland.
Turlough Hill has been in operation for over 40 years and the construction of the ESB station involved the building of a massive cavern in the heart of the mountains to house the generation plant and controls. The construction stage took six years.
A pumped storage system allows for the use of excess electricity capacity during non-peak hours (mainly wind power) to pump water from the lower to the Upper lake. The water is then released in the reverse direction in times of maximum demand, making extra electricity available immediately unlike a conventional oil or gas generating station.
Deputy Andrew Doyle visited the station last Tuesday and has welcomed the near completion of the refurbishment works, the first major upgrade in its history.
The €76 million works are considered of the upmost importance in the development of sustainable renewable energy potential of Ireland.
Turlough Hill has been in operation for over 40 years and the construction of the ESB station involved the building of a massive cavern in the heart of the mountains to house the generation plant and controls. The construction stage took six years.
A pumped storage system allows for the use of excess electricity capacity during non-peak hours (mainly wind power) to pump water from the lower to the Upper lake. The water is then released in the reverse direction in times of maximum demand, making extra electricity available immediately unlike a conventional oil or gas generating station.
Deputy Andrew Doyle visited the station last Tuesday and has welcomed the near completion of the refurbishment works, the first major upgrade in its history.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Most Expensive search And Waste of Time
A SEARCH of Wicklow Harbour for a missing man found safe and well in Wexford
cost in excess of €100,000.
Clothing belonging to the man in his 30s was found near the pier on Friday, while his car was abandoned by the harbour.
An extensive search of the harbour and bay were carried out by Wicklow RNLI, the Garda Underwater Unit and the coastguard, including the involvement of a coast guard helicopter.
The search was called off as darkness fell and resumed first thing on Saturday morning, only for rescue personnel to receive a call from the Gardai informing them that the missing man had been located in Wexford, where he was alive and well.
Each RNLI lifeboat launch costs in the region of €5,000, while the involvement of the coast guard helicopter and the Garda Underwater Unit means the bill for the search was well over €100,000. The man was interviewed by Wicklow Gardai on Saturday before returning home.
Earlier in the week the same man was the subject of a garda alert after unexpectedly removing his three daughters from school. He was pursued by the Gardai before his vehicle came to a stop after mounting a roundabout. A SEARCH of Wicklow Harbour for a missing man who was feared drowned was called off after he was found to be 'alive and well' in Wexford.
The search began on Friday after the man's clothing was found just off the pier. His car, containing his coat and pictures of his three children, was found abandoned at the harbour. The keys were still in the ignition.
Earlier in the week the same man was arrested and detained for medical treatment after causing a major Garda alert when he went missing with his three children.
There were immediate fears for his safety on Friday and a search was quickly underway by 8.30 a.m.. The Garda Underwater Unit trawled the harbour at South Quay, while Wicklow Lifeboat embarked on an extensive search of the area. A coast guard helicopter was also involved in the operation.
The search was called off as darkness fell and resumed the following morning. However, at 9.40 a.m. on Saturday search crews received word from gardai that the man was 'safe and well' and had been located in Wexford.
Wicklow RNLI were out on Friday for five hours searching for the man as concerns grew that he may have taken his own life. 'We were just all delighted to hear he was safe. That's the main thing,' said an RNLI spokesperson.
The same man was involved in an incident on Wednesday which saw him being pursued by Gardai as he travelled in a car containing his three children.
Gardai asked the public for their assistance in tracing the car, but warned people not to approach the driver. The car he was driving had been last seen in an estate in Ashford at 10.30 a.m., though it's understood the man lives in Rathnew.
During a search, which included the involvement of a Garda Air Support Unit, the car was spotted at Brittas Bay before heading to the N11 near Rathnew. Gardai began a short pursuit which ended when the man attempted to take the slip-way at the Ballinabarney Junction and ended up losing control of his vehicle and mounting the roundabout, knocking over a number of traffic signs.
As a precautionary measure an ambulance was called to check on the well-being of the children, none of whom were injured during the incident.
The day appears to have started as normal with the Father dropping his three daughters - ages 12, 9 and 7 - to school at 10 a.m.. However, he returned half an hour later demanding that he be allowed remove them from classes. This went against school protocol and concerned teachers tried to persuaded him to allow the children to remain in class. He became agitated before leaving with his three children.
He drove away from the school in his own car, but later switched to a borrowed blue Nissan Almera.
Once alerted to the situation Gardai were extremely anxious to locate the car and its occupants. A description of the driver and the registration number of his vehicle were released in and effort to locate his whereabouts. Roadblocks were also set up and the air support unit called out.
After his arrest the man was detained at Wicklow Garda Station under the Mental Health Act.
Clothing belonging to the man in his 30s was found near the pier on Friday, while his car was abandoned by the harbour.
An extensive search of the harbour and bay were carried out by Wicklow RNLI, the Garda Underwater Unit and the coastguard, including the involvement of a coast guard helicopter.
The search was called off as darkness fell and resumed first thing on Saturday morning, only for rescue personnel to receive a call from the Gardai informing them that the missing man had been located in Wexford, where he was alive and well.
Each RNLI lifeboat launch costs in the region of €5,000, while the involvement of the coast guard helicopter and the Garda Underwater Unit means the bill for the search was well over €100,000. The man was interviewed by Wicklow Gardai on Saturday before returning home.
Earlier in the week the same man was the subject of a garda alert after unexpectedly removing his three daughters from school. He was pursued by the Gardai before his vehicle came to a stop after mounting a roundabout. A SEARCH of Wicklow Harbour for a missing man who was feared drowned was called off after he was found to be 'alive and well' in Wexford.
The search began on Friday after the man's clothing was found just off the pier. His car, containing his coat and pictures of his three children, was found abandoned at the harbour. The keys were still in the ignition.
Earlier in the week the same man was arrested and detained for medical treatment after causing a major Garda alert when he went missing with his three children.
There were immediate fears for his safety on Friday and a search was quickly underway by 8.30 a.m.. The Garda Underwater Unit trawled the harbour at South Quay, while Wicklow Lifeboat embarked on an extensive search of the area. A coast guard helicopter was also involved in the operation.
The search was called off as darkness fell and resumed the following morning. However, at 9.40 a.m. on Saturday search crews received word from gardai that the man was 'safe and well' and had been located in Wexford.
Wicklow RNLI were out on Friday for five hours searching for the man as concerns grew that he may have taken his own life. 'We were just all delighted to hear he was safe. That's the main thing,' said an RNLI spokesperson.
The same man was involved in an incident on Wednesday which saw him being pursued by Gardai as he travelled in a car containing his three children.
Gardai asked the public for their assistance in tracing the car, but warned people not to approach the driver. The car he was driving had been last seen in an estate in Ashford at 10.30 a.m., though it's understood the man lives in Rathnew.
During a search, which included the involvement of a Garda Air Support Unit, the car was spotted at Brittas Bay before heading to the N11 near Rathnew. Gardai began a short pursuit which ended when the man attempted to take the slip-way at the Ballinabarney Junction and ended up losing control of his vehicle and mounting the roundabout, knocking over a number of traffic signs.
As a precautionary measure an ambulance was called to check on the well-being of the children, none of whom were injured during the incident.
The day appears to have started as normal with the Father dropping his three daughters - ages 12, 9 and 7 - to school at 10 a.m.. However, he returned half an hour later demanding that he be allowed remove them from classes. This went against school protocol and concerned teachers tried to persuaded him to allow the children to remain in class. He became agitated before leaving with his three children.
He drove away from the school in his own car, but later switched to a borrowed blue Nissan Almera.
Once alerted to the situation Gardai were extremely anxious to locate the car and its occupants. A description of the driver and the registration number of his vehicle were released in and effort to locate his whereabouts. Roadblocks were also set up and the air support unit called out.
After his arrest the man was detained at Wicklow Garda Station under the Mental Health Act.
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