M1 to close around Dundalk from midnight for repair work

Part of the M1 motorway will be closed in the early hours of tomorrow morning to facilitate emergency repair work at Junction 17 Castleblayney by ESB Networks.

To facilitate the work, it will be necessary to close the motorway northbound and southbound between Junction 16 Dundalk North and Junction 18 Dundalk South/Carlingford between midnight and 5am.

Traffic will be diverted off the N1 southbound at Junction 18 (Dundalk North) and onto the N52 (Dundalk Inner Relief Road). Traffic will re-join the M1 southbound at Junction 16 (Dundalk South). The northbound diversion will use the same route in reverse. 
The traffic management will be carried out by North-Link.

Breathnach elected first chairman of the new Municipal District of Dundalk

Cllr Declan Breathnach

Fianna Fáil councillor Declan Breathnach was yesterday evening elected the first chairman of the new Municipal District of Dundalk.

The Municipal District is the successor to the old Dundalk Town Council and is made up of those elected in the Dundalk South and Dundalk Carlingford constituencies.

As expected, an alliance involving members of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party ensured that they retained power over the largest party, Sinn Féin – a move that was replicated at the first County Council meeting recently.

That meant that Cllr Breathnach defeated Sinn Féin’s Tomás Sharkey by seven votes to five, with independent councillor Maeve Yore abstaining. He takes up the role just days after handing over the reins as chairman of Louth County Council to Cllr Oliver Tully.

Cllr Mark Dearey of the Green Party was then elected the new vice-chairman after defeating Sinn Féin’s Edel Corrigan by the same margin.

The new Dundalk Municipal Committee have agreed to meet on the first Tuesday of every month at 5.15pm in Dundalk Town Hall.

 

New Municipal District of Dundalk to meet for the first time today

Cllr Edel Corrigan

The first meeting of the new Municipal District of Dundalk takes place later today.

The Municipal District will be made up of those elected to Louth County Council from the Dundalk South and Dundalk Carlingford constituencies and will look after the needs of the town of Dundalk, similar to the old Dundak Town Council.

A new chair will be appointed at the first meeting but it appears that we are in for a repeat of what happened at the recent Louth County Council AGM when a voting pact denied Sinn Féin power despite them being the biggest party.

Commenting on the matter on her Facebook page last night, Cllr Edel Corrigan – who topped the poll in Dundalk-Carlingford last month, said: “Tomorrow is the first meeting of Municipal District of Dundalk. Sinn Féin has again put forward a proposal for the d’Hondt system to be used but it appears this will once again be ignored.

“I am hearing this evening that all other parties met this evening excluding Sinn Féin. Invitation must have got lost in the post. There will be 13 members of this committee which covers Dundalk Carlingford and Dundalk South. Voters used their voice when they elected five Sinn Féin councillors and Sinn Féin topped the poll in both areas yet the other parties will once again group together to block Sinn Féin.”

New look Louth County Council to meet for the first time this morning

The offices of Louth County Council

The first meeting of the new Louth County Council will take place later today.

This will be the first gathering of the local authority since the recent local elections and the abolition of the town and borough councils.

At the meeting the first chairperson of the new look council is expected to be decided.

The new council is made up of the following:

Dundalk South (7) – Tomás Sharkey (Sinn Féin), Declan Breathnach (Fianna Fáil), Maeve Anna Yore (Independent), Kevin Meenan (Sinn Féin), Jennifer Green (Sinn Féin), Maria Doyle (Fine Gael), Marianne Butler (Green Party).

Dundalk Carlingford (6) – Edel Corrigan (Sinn Féin), Peter Savage (Fianna Fáil), Jim Loughran (Sinn Féin), John McGahon (Fine Gael), Mark Dearey (Green Party), Conor Keelan (Fianna Fáil).

Ardee (6) – Pearse McGeough (Sinn Féin), Colm Markey (Fine Gael), Liam Reilly (Fianna Fáil), Tom Cunningham (Sinn Féin), Dolores Minogue (Fine Gael), Jim Tenanty (Independent).

Drogheda (10) – Imelda Munster (Sinn Féin), Paul Bell (Labour Party), Alan Cassidy (Sinn Féin), Tommy Byrne (Fianna Fáil), Kenneth Flood (Sinn Féin), Frank Godfrey (Independent), Kevin Callan (Fine Gael), Oliver Tully (Fine Gael), Richie Culhane (Fine Gael), Pio Martin Smith (Labour Party).

Tenanty claims final seat on Louth County Council

Jim Tenanty

Jim Tenanty held off the challenge of fellow independent Hugh Conlon to take the last seat on the new Louth County Council following yesterday evening’s recount at the Redeemer in Dundalk.

Just 23 votes had separated the pair in the Ardee electoral area on Sunday night, leading to Conlon calling for a recount.

However, it failed to change the outcome, with Tenanty holding on to take his seat on the new local authority.

That leaves things as follows:

The party breakdown reads as

• Sinn Féin – 10 seats
• Fine Gael – 7 seats
• Fianna Fáil – 5 seats
• Labour Party – 2 seats
• Green Party – 2 seats
• Independents – 3 seats

Meanwhile, the new council is made up of the following:

Dundalk South (7) – Tomás Sharkey (Sinn Féin), Declan Breathnach (Fianna Fáil), Maeve Anna Yore (Independent), Kevin Meenan (Sinn Féin), Jennifer Green (Sinn Féin), Maria Doyle (Fine Gael), Marianne Butler (Green Party).

Dundalk Carlingford (6) – Edel Corrigan (Sinn Féin), Peter Savage (Fianna Fáil), Jim Loughran (Sinn Féin), John McGahon (Fine Gael), Mark Dearey (Green Party), Conor Keelan (Fianna Fáil).

Ardee (6) – Pearse McGeough (Sinn Féin), Colm Markey (Fine Gael), Liam Reilly (Fianna Fáil), Tom Cunningham (Sinn Féin), Dolores Minogue (Fine Gael), Jim Tenanty (Independent).

Drogheda (10) – Imelda Munster (Sinn Féin), Paul Bell (Labour Party), Alan Cassidy (Sinn Féin), Tommy Byrne (Fianna Fáil), Kenneth Flood (Sinn Féin), Frank Godfrey (Independent), Kevin Callan (Fine Gael), Oliver Tully (Fine Gael), Richie Culhane (Fine Gael), Pio Martin Smith (Labour Party).

Drama at count centre as Keelan pips Quigley to final seat by just four votes

Some of the victorious Sinn Féin team at the count centre on Saturday with party leader and local TD Gerry Adams. From left: Edel Corrigan, Pearse McGeough, Gerry Adams, Imelda Munster, Tomás Sharkey, Jennifer Green, Tom Cunningham and Alan Cassidy

Conor Keelan won the final seat in Dundalk Carlingford by just four votes from JJ Quigley

There was drama at the local election count in the Redeemer last night after a recount was ordered to decide who took the last seat available in the Dundalk-Carlingford constituency.

In the end history repeated itself as Fianna Fáil’s Conor Keelan saw off competition from Sinn Féin’s JJ Quigley to take the final seat by just four votes – the same margin that independent councillor Alan Grehan pipped Fianna Fáil’s Donal Lynch by following a similar recount five years ago.

Initially there had been just two votes separating the pair before the recount but it failed to change the outcome.

The failure of Quigley to get elected was the one downside to what was an otherwise fantastic weekend for Sinn Féin, who saw 10 of their 11 candidates elected, with poll toppers in each of the four electoral areas.

As is always the case in elections, there were casualties with established councillors such as Eamonn O’Boyle, Jim Ryan, Jim Lennon, Finnan McCoy, Martin Murnaghan, Linus English, Michael O’Dowd, Sean Bellew and Oliver Morgan all losing seats.

For the first time there is the possibility also of a husband and wife team on the council with Sinn Féin’s Jennifer Green elected in Dundalk South, while her fiancé Alan Cassidy was elected in Drogheda.

Sinn Féin aside, the big winners included independent Maeve Anna Yore and Fine Gael’s John McGahon and Maria Doyle, who secured seats on their debut elections.

It was also a good weekend for the Green Party, with both Mark Dearey and Marianne Butler retaining their status.

The only remaining seat still to be decided is in Ardee, where a recount will take place this morning at 10am at the request of Hugh Conlon, who lost out on the final seat to fellow independent Jim Tenanty by just 23 votes.

The party breakdown look as follows:

• Sinn Féin – 10 seats
• Fine Gael – 7 seats
• Fianna Fáil – 5 seats
• Labour Party – 2 seats
• Green Party – 2 seats
• Independents – 3 seats

There will also be a record number of women representatives, with seven female councillors elected.

As things stand the new County Council will look as follows:

Dundalk South (7) – Tomás Sharkey (Sinn Féin), Declan Breathnach (Fianna Fáil), Maeve Anna Yore (Independent), Kevin Meenan (Sinn Féin), Jennifer Green (Sinn Féin), Maria Doyle (Fine Gael), Marianne Butler (Green Party).

Dundalk Carlingford (6) – Edel Corrigan (Sinn Féin), Peter Savage (Fianna Fáil), Jim Loughran (Sinn Féin), John McGahon (Fine Gael), Mark Dearey (Green Party), Conor Keelan (Fianna Fáil).

Ardee (6) – Pearse McGeough (Sinn Féin), Colm Markey (Fine Gael), Liam Reilly (Fianna Fáil), Tom Cunningham (Sinn Féin), Dolores Minogue (Fine Gael), Jim Tenanty/Hugh D Conlon (Independent).

Drogheda (10) – Imelda Munster (Sinn Féin), Paul Bell (Labour Party), Alan Cassidy (Sinn Féin), Tommy Byrne (Fianna Fáil), Kenneth Flood (Sinn Féin), Frank Godfrey (Independent), Kevin Callan (Fine Gael), Oliver Tully (Fine Gael), Richie Culhane (Fine Gael), Pio Martin Smith (Labour Party).

Full results for each electoral area are also available on the Louth County Council website – Dundalk Carlingford, Dundalk South, Ardee, Drogheda.

Who will you be voting for in Dundalk South?

It’s polling day tomorrow and you will have a chance to vote for the next Louth County Council. Let us know who will be getting your number one vote below in Dundalk South.

Best of luck to all candidates and, no matter the outcome, may we get a good bunch of public representatives at the end of it.

Local election count to be held in Redeemer centre

The Redeemer Centre in Dundalk

The count to determine the result of the local elections in Louth will be held entirely in the Redeemer Family Resource Centre in Dundalk, it has been revealed.

This means that candidates for Dundalk South, Dundalk-Carlingford, Mid-Louth and Drogheda will all have to travel there on May 24th to learn their fate.

The move has been criticised by Drogheda-based Labour Cllr Paul Bell, who told LMFM that having so much going on in one location could be “chaotic”.

He also says it puts a distance between voters in Drogheda and the count centre, adding that it would prevent people from coming along to see how the process works.

 

Five days left to register to vote in local and European elections

With it now just over three weeks to polling day on May 23^rd, local election candidate Maeve Yore has been on asking us to remind people that they have only five days left to register to vote in the forthcoming local and European elections.

The closing date to register is Monday May 5^th and you can do so via www.checktheregister.ie

Maeve, from the Avenue Road, is the only female independent candidate in Dundalk South.

Meanwhile, local TD Seamus Kirk has also shared a number of photos with us of him out campaigning with Fianna Fáil local election hopefuls Cllr Declan Breathnach, Tomás Wilkinson and Fintan Malone.

Local election duo Green and McGahon named ‘rides’

Cllr Jennifer Green

John McGahon

Two local election candidates from Dundalk may be sweating over how many votes they’ll get next month but they can at least take some heart that they’re winning plenty admirers in the looks department.

Sinn Féin’s Cllr Jennifer Green and Fine Gael’s John McGahon have both been listed on a new website called Irish Election Rides.

The idea behind the humourous blog is to feature “people we think are physically attractive who are also seeking election.”

The website does encourage people not to vote for people based on how they look though, saying “that’s just silly.”

Both Jennifer and John are newcomers to the election process. Cllr Green has served on Dundalk Town Council for the last few years but didn’t run in the 2009 elections. She gained her seat after Ian Dooley stepped down from local politics in April 2010.

Jennifer, from Mulholland Avenue, is a candidate in Dundalk South, while John, from Seatown, is running in the Dundalk-Carlingford constituency.