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City councillor calls for Emergency Repair Fund following storm damage
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A city councillor is calling on the government to immediately provide an Emergency Repair Fund for businesses in Galway that have been damaged by the recent storms.
Businesses in areas including the Spanish Arch, Salthill, and Flood Street suffered extensive damage during yesterday’s storm.
Leisureland in Salthill will remain closed for the next few days as a result of serious flood damage- including damage to a newly-installed combined heating unit which caught fire during the flood.
Meanwhile, the ESB has restored supply to up to 300 customers across the county who were without power following yesterday’s storm.
They are now dealing with a series of minor faults throughout the county.
Seapoint Promenade from Grattan Road to the Atlantaquaria re-opened to traffic this morning following a major clean-up operation in the area.
The city council is advising motorists that there are still some small areas of spot flooding along the coast road through Salthill, and Rockbarton West at the Salthill Hotel remains closed this afternoon.
West of Roundstone, ten houses in the townland of Ervellagh remain cut off after the roads were torn up by the storm.
Landowners along the Connemara coastline are this afternoon assessing the damage- walls were knocked and boats torn from their moorings.
Roads along the Connemara coast remain slippery as a result of seaweed and remaining surface water and motorists are advised to exercise caution.
It’s also reported that on the island of Inis Oirr, the famous shipwreck ‘The Plassy,’ has been weather-damaged.
A major clean-up is continuing across the county today, with crews removing debris and pumping water from some of the worst affected areas.
Speaking to Galway Bay fm news, Councillor Peter Keane says businesses in flood-prone areas will need a helping hand.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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