McGahon hits out at illegal dumping on local beach

Cllr John McGahon pictured at the site of the illegal dumping in Rathcor yesterday

Fine Gael councillor for Dundalk-Carlingford, John McGahon, has strongly condemned the large amount of illegal dumping which occurred on Rathcor Beach in Cooley last week.

Cllr McGahon reported the matter to Louth County Council yesterday and said it was “an absolute disgrace” that people were dumping in such a scenic location.

He said: “The illegal dumping of household waste is completely unacceptable in an area of such scenic beauty. Between 10-15 rubbish bags were dumped on the beach.

“People who engage in illegal dumping show a blatant disregard towards civic responsibility and our local environment. I reported the incident to Louth County Council and the litter warden managed to obtain the address of an individual from Dundalk in the household rubbish. The fact that someone drove from Dundalk to this remote beach really highlights how serious this issue is becoming.”

Cllr McGahon proposed a possible solution to tackle illegal dumping in Co Louth.

“BIGbin is a waste and management disposal company. They place BIGbin units at service stations around the country and allow people to dispose of their rubbish for a small fee.

“It’s a cheap and convenient alternative to a bin collection service.  They are currently in operation in several different counties.  I will be writing to BIGbin and will ask if they will consider establishing themselves in County Louth,” he said.

€1.4m to be spent upgrading roads and footpaths in Dundalk

Part of the N53 at Barronstown which is to be upgraded

A number of the town’s footpaths will be upgraded and repaired as part of proposals by the Dundalk Municipal District for its roads work programme for 2015.

In total 26 different projects have been earmarked for completion this year including road surfacing, restoration, strengthening and footpath repairs.

The total cost of the work would be just over €1.4 million, with a further €1 million earmarked for a 1.3km stretch of the N53 Dundalk to Castleblayney Road near Hackballscross and Rassan on the Barronstown to Hackballscross route. This will be realigned to improve safety, similar to the work that was previously carried out near Fintan Callan’s pub. A further €224,000 has also been allocated to the Barronstown to Newtownbalregan stretch of the same road.

Amongst the footpaths earmarked for repair include the Mill Road to Castletown Cottages, Beechmount Drive, the Castletown Road and Park Street.

The most expensive job at €185,000 is road repairs to a 1km stretch of the Inner Relief Road in Dundalk, followed by a 500 metre stretch at the Bush, which will cost €112,500.

A further €100,000 will also go towards repairs on the Castletown Road.

Other areas earmarked for an upgrade include Maghereagh Cross to Belrobin, Mullabohy Cross to Knockbridge, Rathcor, Grange, Roche Cross to Killin Cross, Dunmahon Cross to the Fane River, the Rock Road in Blackrock, Edentubber, Tullaghomeath, Crossalaney, Legion Avenue and Culhane Street junction, Park Villas and Chapel Street.

The projects will be able to proceed subject to approval.

In total €2.21m has been allocated to Louth’s roads for the coming year by the National Roads Authority. A further €600,000 will be spent on road improvements at Blakestown Cross on the main Dublin-Derry route on the N52, while work will also take place on the Ardee by-pass.

Fine Gael candidates get campaign up and running in Dundalk-Carlingford area

Colin Goss with his supporters on the canvassing trail at the weekend

Two of Fine Gael’s candidates in next May’s local elections got their campaigns up-and-running at the weekend.

Cllr Martin Murnaghan and former Louth star Colin Goss were both canvassing votes in the Dundalk-Carlingford area, with the support of party members.

Martin Murnaghan, from Rathcor, has been a member of Louth County Council since June 2011 having been selected to succeed Terry Brennan following his election to the Seanad.

At the weekend the 24-year-old launched his campaign in Carlingford with the support of long-standing party members including Senators Jim D’Arcy and Terry Brennan and local TD Peter Fitzpatrick.

Colin Goss was also campaigning at the weekend with Deputy Fitzpatrick and had the support of Louth captain Paddy Keenan and other members of the Pat’s club, for which he has won five county titles in the last decade.

Senators Jim D’Arcy and Terry Brennan and local TD Peter Fitzpatrick with Cllr Martin Murnaghan at the launch of his campaign in Carlingford at the weekend