From our archives - April 1994

Putting Big Jack under pressure

BRAY: ‘ PUT ‘ EM under pressure’ might have been the mainstay of the man’s strategy as he led our national soccer squad to world conquering heights.

Well the people of Bray employed the same tactic when Jack Charlton came to town last week.

A crowd of 500 thronged the Main Street to see the genial Geordie on his guest visit, while close to 100 more crammed the local Totterdells store, to join with Big Jack in a celebration to both launch their World Cup promotions campaign, and celebrate the 35th anniversary of Totterdell’s Bray.

Not usually lost for words, the Irish soccer supremo expressed his surprise at the scale of the local welcome, and told the crowd that ‘you must all be on a day off, or something.

‘I can never believe the number of people that come out just to see me… and I don’t really know what to say.’

Beaming that broad smile that has made his one of the best known faces in Ireland, J.C. (not to be mistaken with the other one, although he adulation is similar!) recalled how he had last been to Bray ‘around eight or nine months ago, before we had qualified for the USA.’

Underage drinkers targeted by gardai

WICKLOW: ERRANT publicans and under-age drinkers are being targeted by Gardaí in a major new clampdown on crime and vandalism in Wicklow town.

Garda Superintendent Austin McNally has launched a 'get tough' policy in a bid to restore law and order to Wicklow town's streets and public places, which are being plagued by vandalism and petty crime.

Drink has been identified as one of the major causes of vandalism in the town and now gar- dai have resolved to tackle this problem at source. A surveillance operation has already resulted in the initiation of one prosecution in relation to underage drinking.

' The vast majority of publicans are not serving underage drinkers but unfortunately there is a very small number of establishments where I know they are selling and it is something I have clamped down on - and we will clamp down on a lot more in the coming months,' Supt. McNally promised.

He plans to stamp out open-air drinking parties in the town with the help of the new Public Order Act, which he says has strengthened the hand of the gardai.

And he is also planning a major campaign to raise young people's awareness about the antisocial nature of vandalism - and to make them realise that their parents are the ones paying for it.

Spuce up for final of sheep-shearing

DONARD: THE VILLAGE of Donard is receiving a facelift in time for the forthcoming allIreland sheep shearing championships which will attract up to 60,000 people to the west Wicklow village on May 29.

Work started last week on laying modern 'cobble-lock' paving on light and dark shades of grey throughout the village and along the Hollywood Glen road as far as the catholic church.

The project is a joint one involving Wicklow County Council, Wicklow Rural Enterprises and Donard Tidy Towns Association which has been planning and fundraising for the work for the last two years.

Leader funds have been made available to meet half the £15,000 cost and Blessington and District Credit Union has also given a subscription towards the work.

Wicklow County Council is laying the paving in the village itself and the Tidy Towns Association is funding the work along the Hollywood Glen road. Local resident, Luke Griffin, has given part of his land to facilitate the work.

' We expect there will be about three weeks' work involved altogether,' said Tidy Towns spokesperson Majella Walsh. ' The attractive paving will give the appearance of Donard a great boost and it will all be ready in time for the sheep shearing championships.'

Play area promised for The Fishery

ARKLOW: GOOD NEWS for an area known as The Fishery in Arklow is that it now looks fairly certain they are about to get their long sought play-area.

Town Hall officials are presently negotiating a land swap with the owners of the required piece of ground in the Tinnahask area and Assistant Co. Manager Eddie Breen said they hoped to have a modest amenity development in place by the end of the summer.

Mr. Breen was responding to two motions from Cllrs. Tom Clandillon and Denis Kinsella caling for the provision ofa leisure and play area in the Tinnahask area as promised.

He said that this issue had come up two years ago and, then they looked at providing a play area the cost was quiet staggering.

There were two problems, the Council did not own the land and it did not have the money.

They were still negotiating the purchase of the land by doing a land swap and he was hopeful that with the assistance of FAS they would be able to do modest amenity development before the end of the summer.

Top award for Quality Ceramics

ARKLOW: A COMPANY that rose from the ashes of the recession in the eighties received a major boost this week by winning the nationally acclaimed Small Business of the Year award.

And for Quality Ceramics on South Quay is yet another major title in a line of successes enjoyed by the company since it it was restarted in 1998.

The ACC Bank sponsored award was announced only last night and the directors of the firm had no idea up to then they had scooped the national title.

Quality Ceramics will receive £5000 worth of office equipment from ACC, £5000 worth of advertising from the Sunday Business Post and a marketing consultancy package from the Irish Trade Board.

Quality Ceramics was established in Arklow less than a year after the closure of Armitage Shanks and now gives employment to more than 40 people after an initial workforce of 18 employees.

It was set up by Managing Director Tom Byrne, Marketing Manager John Byrne and Financial Director John O’Loughlin who between them had more than 40 years experience of working with Shanks.

Methadone clinic move causes fury

BRAY: THE business community of Bray is up in arms this week, following the surprise relocation of a methadone clinic to the Main Street.

The clinic was temporarily transferred recently from the health centre on Killarney Road to a vacant premises at Market Square, adjacent to McDonalds on Bray’s Main Street.

However, local shop owners and business people are furious that they were not consulted in advance.

Local businessman Liam Hearns said businesses in the town were struggling already without putting a methadone clinic next door.

‘The people who make these decisions are not living in the real world at all. I mean it’s ludicrous to situate a methadone clinic in an area where school kids will be,’ he said.

A spokesperson for the East Coast Area Health Board confirmed that a premises at Market Square had been leased for a period of 12 weeks.

This is to facilitate renovation works which were being carried out at the existing clinic on Killarney Road.