An Online Petition has been set up calling on the Minister Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, to immediately publish the Feasibility Study which led to the decision to Close of Kickham Barracks Clonmel. Click Here to Go to Petition.
The Petition states:
“The decision to close Kickham Barracks is totally outrageous and indefensible on any grounds.
Taken together with the closure of St Michaels’ Unit and the transferring of our Acute Psychiatric Beds to Kilkenny by a Labour Minister Kathleen Lynch, the Movement of the Vocational Education Committee from Clonmel and South Tipperary to Nenagh by Labour Minister Alan Kelly and now the closure of Kickham Barracks by Minister Alan Shatter of the Fine Gael party, it is evident that we are clearly under attack by this Labour – Fine Gael Government. We are under siege.
The people of Clonmel fought off Cromwell and we will fight this government of broken promises and pre election promises of fiction.
The decision to close Kickham Barracks on 15 November 2011 is an attack on the economic, social and historical wellbeing of this town.
This is a vicious attack on our Soldiers and their families. Our Soldiers and their families in the 12th Battalion are heartbroken by this news, some knowing when going to the Lebanon on 16 November 2011 that they will not return to their barracks.
The loss of €9 – €10 million in revenue from the town will bring job losses and business closures.
We call on Minister Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence to immediately make available to all the Feasibility Study which led to the decision to close Kickham Barracks, Clonmel, Co Tipperary and to Reverse this totally unnecessary and cost ineffective decision.”
The petition also gives you the option of writing your own message.
Please take a few minutes to sign this petition and ask your family and friends to sign it too. Click Here to Go to Petition.
South Tipperary Tourism Company invites you to join us on a guided walk
at Marlfield, on the outskirts of Clonmel, in South Tipperary.
Route: Rock Loop, one of a range of looped walks in Glenbawn woods.
Theme: Nature – Flora and Fauna – Shay Hurley will guide
Date: Sunday 27 November 2011
Meeting time: 1.30 pm
Meeting point: Marlfield village is just outside Clonmel. The starting point is a short
distance west of Marlfield and will be signposted from the village.
Length of walk: Approx 5 km
Estimated time of walk: 1.5 – 2 hours
Minimum Gear: Trekking shoes and raingear, snack and fluids
Level of Walk: Easy
http://www.discoverireland.ie/Activities-Adventure/dun-ui-faolain-loop/77373
Contact: Con Ryan 087 055646
The late Terri O’Neill, who died last week.
Deputy Seamus Healy has paid tribute to a candidate who stood for the Workers and Unemployed Action Group (WUAG) in the local elections in 1999, and who died last week.
Terri O’Neill (nee Grogan) of Jossestown, Lisronagh and late of College Avenue, Clonmel, contested the election to Clonmel Borough Council 12 years ago. Although unsuccessful she polled strongly.
47 year-old Ms O’Neill died on Tuesday of last week.
“Terri was always very generous and genuine with her time and support for anyone who found themselves in any sort of difficulty”, Deputy Healy stated.
As a carer involved in the Home Help Service, he said that she worked above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of her patients and was looked on by them as a friend and supporter.
She was also involved in fostering and through that service was a big supporter of young people who found themselves in difficulty, Deputy Healy added.
The mother of four sons – Eoin, Brian, Paul and Aaron – the late Ms O’Neill also worked for some time with Superquinn in its Clonmel store.
Deputy Healy said she was also involved in the wider community and in the late to mid-1990s played a leading role as chairperson of the campaign group that successfully persuaded the government of the day to keep Kickham Barracks in Clonmel open.
Her remains reposed at O’Donoghue’s Funeral Home on Thursday morning last with removal to Ss Peter and Paul’s Church for Requiem Mass. The funeral was held immediately afterwards at the Island Crematorium in Cork.
Sincere sympathy is extended to her family and friends.
Published on Thursday 17 November 2011 in The Nationalist http://www.nationalist.ie
The Expected Schedule of Works is as follows.
Monard 22nd of November
Place ducting across road way between Twomeys Garage and National School
Duration 1 day
Stop/Go Traffic Management will be in place.
Bansha 23rd of November to 2nd of December
Dig and Replace failed Sections of Pavement on Main Carriage Way Between O’Heneys and the Railway Bridge
and at entrance to Galtee View Housing Estate
Duration 8 days
Stop/Go Traffic Management will be in place.
Monard and Bansha 5th of December to 16th of December
Monard: Renew Roadway on Main Carriageway between the Speedlimits
Bansha: Renew Roadway on Main Carriageway between O’Heneys and the Railway Bridge
Duration 10 days
Stop/ Go Traffic Management will be in place.
A word of thanks to everyone that supported the WUAG Annual Table Quiz, especially to our Quizmaster Ken Horne who celebrated his birthday on the night, and to Pat English for keeping score and correcting the answer sheets.
To everyone that gave spot prizes, that bought tables, bought tickets and sold tickets, without your support the night wouldn’t have been the great success it was.
And finally a sincere word of thanks to Liam Daly and his staff who provided us with a great venue as always and were so helpful and courteous.
We look forward to seeing you all again at the next WUAG event.
Thanks again everyone for your continued support.
Tomorrow, Sunday, 30th October 2011 at 12pm, the Annual Mass of the O.N.E. will take place in St Mary’s Church Irishtown, Clonmel.
There will be a wreath laying ceremony at 11.15am at the plaque on the Quay and at 11.30am a parade including Colour parade, Banna Cluain Meala and visiting Pipe Band Sons and Daughters of Erin from Albony, New York, will parade to St Mary’s Church Irishtown, Clonmel for the Annual Mass. After the mass the parade will go to the Main Guard before being dismissed.
ULA Calls for NO vote in Dail Inquiries Referendum and YES vote in the Referendum on Judge’s Pay
The United Left Alliance TDs, Richard Boyd Barrett, Joan Collins, Clare Daly, Seamus Healy and Joe Higgins are calling for a ‘No’ vote in the Dáil Inquiries Referendum.
The need for an efficient, fair and transparent system for holding inquiries that throws a light on the workings of the state and its agencies, including the Gardaí as well as how the rich and powerful operate in this country and where appropriate bring out evidence and findings that could be used to prosecute wrongdoing is not contested by the United Left Alliance. The Tribunals of Inquiry we have seen over the last two decades have often fallen short on all of these counts.
In that sense the government’s proposal that is being put to a referendum is a missed opportunity. In fact if it is passed the powers that will be bestowed upon the government to hold inquiries into any matter of its choosing and make findings against an individual or individuals is open to abuse.
If this amendment is passed it will be up to a Dáil majority – in effect the Government – to decide on the subject-matter of an inquiry and the balance between the rights of individuals and the public interest. This power should not be entrusted solely to the government of the day. A more independent mechanism could have been proposed, such as Article 44 of the German Basic Law i.e. “[The Bundestag] shall have the right, on a motion of one quarter of its members, to establish an investigative committee, which shall take the requisite evidence at public hearings”.
In a briefing on the referendum by senior officials in Minister Howlin’s department to ULA and Technical group TDs and staff it was confirmed that no legal aid provision would be made to an ordinary citizen being compelled to appear before an Oireachtas inquiry as a witness or as an accused person. In other words only the rich and powerful would have the wherewithal to try to contest through the courts an attempt by an Oireactas enquiry to compel somebody to attend and be adequately represented in an inquiry scenario.
The reality is that there is no equality before the law or in this case before an Oireachtas inquiry. In both cases ones ability to acheive justice or defend oneself depends to a huge degree on the representation one can afford, if any.
Regarding the referendum on Judge’s pay the United Left Alliance advocates a Yes vote from the point of view that we oppose the special status afford to the judiciary, as high paid public servants, regarding matters of salary. In calling for a Yes vote we also take the opportunity to reiterate our opposition to the massive pay differentials that exist in Irish society, both public and private sector.
On 20th October 2011 in the Dáil during the debate on reforming public sector pensions we reiterated our call for a salary cap of €100,000 across the public service. This coupled with a steeply progressive system of income tax which would go some way to addressing the massive pay inequality that exists in this country.
http://www.unitedleftalliance.org/ula-calls-for-no-vote-in-dail-inquiries-referendum/
