DOWN THE YEARS

Memories from days gone by

Is Wexford’s Euro road a death trap? December 1993

A series of fatal accidents on the Enniscorthy/ Wexford road has focussed attention on the safety levels during construction and after completion of Euro Route 1, the road from Larne in Northern Ireland to Seville in Southern Spain.

A ‘death trap’ adequately sums up the public perception of the national primary route from Enniscorthy to Wexford, but the reality is different, according to Wexford Co. Council.

Five people were killed in one accident at Brownswood last month, and last week, a motorcyclist was killed in a crash at Edermine.

Both accidents happened on a stretch of road which has been brought up to European standards over the past eighteen months, apart from the completion of road markings and cats’ eyes.

Council safety advisor, Clem Daly, says the number of recent accidental deaths on the road is deceptive given the small number of accidents involved, and has led to a false impression of the dangers.

Wexford Co. Council is perfectly happy with the new standard of the road. It’s the attitude of drivers, especially those inclined to speed, that causes concern.

‘It’s almost too good in terms of alignment, construction and visibility,’ said the safety advisor, who points out that speed is a major contributing factor in accidents.

Ironically, good roads lead to speed and speed leads to accidents, a trend which is almost an argument for having bad roads.

While the number of road accidents has remained more or less static in Co. Wexford since the 1980s, taking into account the extra volume of traffic, Clem Daly does agree that bad roads can produce greater safety.

‘Some roads are so dangerous that they are safe,’ he said. ‘Because people simply can’t go fast, they find it hard to overtake, they tend to take more care, and have time to brake’.

He offers the reminder that on the Enniscorthy roadand on other major roads around the county, a legal speed limit of 60 mph applies, and ‘if you go past that, you are more at risk’.

As for the public view that the Enniscorthy road is dangerous because of ongoing works, he stresses that the 15-mile stretch is currently ‘a construction site’.

‘There are four different types of roadworks underway along that road and people should exercise greater care. The maximum speed that anyone should go on a road where there are construction works is 40 mph, although that’s a recommendation rather than a legal obligation.’

He pointed out there are ‘adequate’ warning signs about roadworks along the road. The direction arrows are of a standard size and type, there are red and white barrels along the road side, and areas where there are no white lines contain ‘do not overtake’ signs.

But still, some people just do not look or do not pay attention, he said. As an example, he revealed that a recent accident took place on the stretch between Oylegate and Ferrycarrig when a driver ran into the back of a JCB that had a yellow flashing light on, and which was travelling at just 15 miles an hour.

‘People really do need to watch out and take more care,’ he said.

First female chief of the Opera Festival December 1985

When Barbara Wallace was given the keys of the Theatre Royal this week, following her election as Chairwoman of Wexford Opera Festival, it was a nostalgic moment. Her family had once owned the High Street theatre until it was sold by her grandfather, Edward Ronan, in the early 1940s.

Now a member of the family is in charge again, if not the actual owner. But the new Chairwoman is determined to look forward rather than back and one of her main objectives is to get greater local participation in the world-famous festival.

Mrs. Wallace, a public relations consultant, believes Wexford people may have drifted away from the festival in recent years. She says there was tremendous behind-the-scenes involvement in the early years, but with the arrival of more professional outsiders, a lot of that was lost.

‘We need the people of Wexford, and I want them to know that. Everyone who wants to contribute has a role to play, and I want us to work as a team. Wexford people must have a big say in the festival,’ she said this week, following her election last Thursday night.

She replaces secondary school teacher, Jim Golden, in the Chair. He held the position for the past six years. This week she paid tribute to his work for the festival and said she hoped to do as well. ‘All I can do is my best and I will give it everything I can,’ she said.

Barbara Wallace is the first woman to hold the number one position in the festival. She also made history when she became the first woman President of Wexford Junior Chamber. She is a former President of the Public Relations Institute and has been a member of many national bodies. She lives at Mulgannon.

£20,000 counterfeit CDs and DVDs seized December 2003

Anti-counterfeitting officers seized black market music and movies worth around £20,000 in a swoop on the open-air market at the site of the old Un-Yoke on Sunday morning. The fake CDs included albums by R.E.M. and Rod Stewart while latest releases among the DVDs included up-to-date attractions such as ‘Elf ’, ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Master and Commander’.

The team of private investigators, hired by the Irish Recorded Music Association (I.R.M.A.), and Gardaí went to market armed with a warrant obtained at a recent sitting of Enniscorthy District Court. They left with loads of the illegal copies in black refuse sacks and cardboard boxes.

Hundreds of members of the public swarmed around the Un-Yoke in a sun-kissed pre-Christmas rush, snapping up everything from toys and tools to groceries and goldfish. However, the anti-counterfeitting crew concentrated their efforts on just five stalls.

Most of the stallholders targeted simply walked away, leaving their stock to be confiscated rather than face the wrath of the I.R.M.A. However, in one case, the investigators engaged in a protracted discussion with a man and woman in charge of a stall which advertised ‘adult movies available’ before being allowed to examine the contents of their van.

Sunday’s raid was matched by similar swoops at Balbriggan, Fairyhouse and Dublin city.

The Un-Yoke trawl brought in 600 CDs, with albums by Enrique Ingelsias, Ronan Keating and Kylie Minogue among those seized, along with some tape cassettes. The 200 DVDs removed included a number of Christmas favourites, plus the latest Disney blockbuster ‘Big Bear’ and ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.

Jumbo-sized visitor to Kilrane school December 2002

There was a jumbo-sized treat in store for Kilrane NS pupils last week when Shannon and Shane Heffernan of Ballygeary, Rosslare Harbour, arrived to school on an elephant!

Shannon (7) and Shane (5) were the toast of the school when they brought Max, a 17-year-old African elephant from Circus Vegas to say hello to everyone.

Their parents, Tony and Donna Heffernan, befriended the Scholl family from German (who work with Circus Vegas) when they came to Ireland last January, and arranged with elephant trainer Harid Scholl to take Max to school last Thursday morning.

The two children arrived through the school gates astride the towering Max, who was greeted by a guard of honour from 5th and 6th class pupils. He then went around to the yard, where the whole school was assembled.

‘Hardi had a bag of bread and threw it towards the kids so that Max would go over to them,’ said Donna. ‘The shouts and the squeals were unreal. They totally surrounded the elephant, who was very well behaved and who didn’t put a trunk wrong. Then the principal, Donald O’Flaherty, got on and was taken all around the yard. I’d say you could have heard the squeals of the children up in Dublin!’

From the adverts December 1976

An interesting advert 43 years ago for bikes on sale in the run-up to Christmas in a Wexford shop which has long since closed down.

There were two prices advertised for each bike - one marked ‘full price’, and a cheaper one marked ‘cash price’. Too late now for Revenue to take an interest!