Trampoline park being planned for Dundalk

What the new trampoline park could look like if given the go ahead

A new trampoline park could be on the way to Dundalk.

Donal and Jacqueline Rankin have applied to Louth County Council for planning permission to convert part of the ground floor (935sqm) of Unit 19 at the North Link Retail Park to a trampoline park.

As part of their application they also hope to install associated signage and carry out minor internal alterations to the unit, which is currently part-occupied by AV Direct.

If given the go ahead, the trampoline park would likely resemble the Jumpzone facilities which operate in Sandyford and Santry in Dublin.

O’Donnell receives injury boost as knee damage isn’t as bad as first feared

Dundalk’s Stephen O’Donnell

Dundalk FC captain Stephen O’Donnell has received a major boost in his battle to return to fitness after surgery yesterday revealed that his cruciate knee ligament injury was not as bad as first feared.

After being carried off in the 2-2 draw with Shamrock Rovers on Good Friday, there were fears that the 28-year-old might not play again after initial reports suggested he had ruptured both his anterior and posterior ligaments.

However, surgery in Santry yesterday went well and revealed that he hadn’t ruptured the anterior ligaments (ACL).

Tweeting about the matter this morning, O’Donnell said: “Didn’t do my acl after all damage to the knee but not as bad as first feared!buzzin,surgery went well.”

Meanwhile, tickets went on sale from Oriel Park this morning for the club’s Setanta Cup final clash against Sligo Rovers in Tallaght Stadium on Saturday May 10^th.

Two Dundalk projects shortlisted for LAMA awards

Two Dundalk projects have been shortlisted in the 2014 LAMA (Local Authorities Members Association) Community & Council Awards.

The Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Project has been shortlisted in the category for the Best Energy Smart Initiative by a local authority while Dundalk BIDS and Tourism Office are finalists in the Best Tourism Initiative category.

The Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Project has, to date, seen close to 2,000 residents benefit from Ireland’s biggest energy efficiency retrofit. Over an 18-month period, Dundalk Town Council along with Electric Ireland and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) invested €3.3m on works including energy efficient insulation, boiler installations, draught proofing and the installation of heating controls in 573 houses in Cox’s Demesne.

The work was carried out free of charge to all the residents concerned.

The retrofit marked the first phase of the regeneration project. The second phase consists of the Ashling Park pilot project, looking at improving existing council housing stock as well as the local physical environment.

Only days after securing another five years of Dundalk BIDS (Business Investment District Scheme) following a ratepayers ballot and the support of Dundalk town councillors, BIDS along with the Tourism Office has been nominated in the Best Tourism Initiative category.

Dundalk BIDs was instrumental in securing the return of the Tourism Office to the Market Square in 2012. In the year since, the Office has been extremely popular with visitors to Dundalk and the surrounding areas, providing a vital information hub and also increasing visitor footfall in the town centre.

Both BIDS and the Dundalk Tourism Office are strongly involved in many projects held throughout the year in Dundalk.

Speaking on the success of both projects in reaching the finals, Dave Storey, Senior Executive Officer with Dundalk Town Council said: “The LAMA Community & Council Awards is a very highly regarded awards scheme which highlights excellence in various projects throughout the country.
 
“Both the Cox’s Demesne Retrofit Scheme and Dundalk BIDS are pioneering projects on a national scale and it is good to know that the LAMA adjudicators are acknowledging this by placing the two initiatives on their respective shortlists.
 
“Hopefully we can bring home the top awards in January.”
 
RTE celebrity Miriam O’Callaghan will host the LAMA Community & Council Awards on Saturday, January 25 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry.

Dundalk hairdresser in the running to appear on new series of Operation Transformation

Ruth McEneaney

A local hairdresser is in the running to feature in the new series of Operation Transformation on RTÉ in January.

28-year-old Ruth McEneaney weighs 21^st 9lbs, making her the heaviest of this year’s finalists hoping to become a leader on the show.

Ruth has some self-confessed bad habits, including drinking four or five bottles of Lucozade a day because water makes her gag.

She is determined to lose weight though and said: “I am here because I want to start enjoying my life again.”

More than 500 people applied to take part in the programme before it was finally whittled down to 20, who all met up in the Sportslink Gym in Santry yesterday to be physically and emotionally assessed.

Show host Kathryn Thomas will be travelling to the homes of the five selected leaders next week to let them know they have been chosen.

Santa Cycle to take place from Santry to Dundalk at the end of the month

A Santa Cycle has been organised for Saturday November 30^th and Sunday December 1^st.

The event will see Santa and his team cycle 160km over two days from Santry to Dundalk and back, while also abseiling down the side of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk.

All money raised from the event will go towards the Ian McKeever Orphanage and School.

Volunteers who are willing to dress up as Santa and take part in the event are invited to register now at www.santacycle.com

The event costs €200 in total, which can be covered by sponsorship, and includes entry to the cycle event on both days, refreshments on route, one night B&B, an evening meal and entertainment in the hotel and a donation to Kilimanjaro Achievers.

The event will depart the Crowne Plaza in Santry on Saturday November 30^th at 10am before stopping in Julianstown for lunch from 12 noon to 2pm and then continuing on to the Crowne Plaza in Dundalk.

It will come just 24 hours after the Dundalk Santa Run, which will be aiming for a new Guinness World Record of 4,000 Santas on Friday November 29^th.

Man who suffered severe injuries in Dundalk accident is awarded €5.2m

The Industrial Park in Dundalk where Mr Crabbe’s accident occurred

A young man who suffered brain damage and other devastating injuries while working in Dundalk yesterday secured €5.2m damages in a settlement of his high court action.

On January 14th 2008, a high voltage current coursed through Nicholas Crabbe, then aged 19, after a steel lamp pole he was holding became live when it came into contact with a live overhead power line, the court heard.

Mr Crabbe suffered severe full thickness burns and had to have some fingers and toes amputated after the accident which occurred when he was inserting metal poles for lighting at the IDA industrial park outside Dundalk.

Now aged 24, he is brain-damaged with speaking difficulties and is confined to a wheelchair.

Mr Crabbe, Ventry Road, Cabra, Dublin had, through his mother Pauline, sued his then employers AI Read Electrical Company Ltd, Santry, Dublin and Hydro Excavation (Ireland) Ltd, Damastown, Mulhuddart.

He also sued Kilwex Ltd, Naas, Co Kildare as the main contractor responsible for the construction work on the IDA business park at the time of the accident.

It was claimed the defendant employers were responsible for the operation, management and direction of him in his work and had a duty to provide him with a safe place of work and not to expose him to a risk of of danger.

Kilwex, it was claimed, was obliged to ensure the site was safe and without risk of injury to the safety, health and welfare of Mr Crabbe when working there.

Mr Crabbe was installing steel lamp poles into sockets along the road at the business park when the accident occurred. He was working as part of a two man crew with a colleague driving the lorry and operating the crane.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine was told a steel lamp pole, while suspended from the crane and being manoeuvered into place into the ground socket, came into contact with a live overhead power line.

Turlough O’Donnell SC, for Mr Crabbe, said the high voltage electricity cable had not been disconnected and Mr Crabbe was very severely electrocuted and later suffered two heart attacks causing a deprivation of oxygen to the brain. Mr Crabbe also suffered severe burning, counsel added.

He said the young man is in a wheelchair as physiotherapy has not been available to him for some time. When physiotherapy was available, Mr Crabbe could walk up to fifty metres with a rollametre, counsel added.

Approving the settlement, the judge said she knew nothing would ever compensate Nicholas or his mother for the injuries received but the money would go some way towards giving him a better quality of life. It was a very good settlement, the judge added.