NEWS ROUND-UP

Foolish decision by 26-year-old to drive car

A Sligo man has been fined and banned from driving for road traffic offences at the district court.

Adam McLoughlin, 26, from Sea View Park, Sligo, admitted driving with no licence and no insurance on February 24 last year at Scarden, Strandhill. Sergeant Derek Butler told the court the defendant initially drove down a side road when he spotted gardaí. He eventually admitted driving the vehicle, which was seized. He said he had left his licence at home.

The defendant undertook to produce insurance and licence at a garda station but failed to do so.

Defence solicitor John Anderson said the carpenter, who was a father-of-two and lived with his mother, knew he was getting a lengthy ban. He was engaging with Social Ground Force to deal with addiction issues, and he took a very foolish decision to take the vehicle out on the road. Judge Raymond Finnegan fined the defendant, who has five previous convictions,

€100 on the no licence charge and €200 on the charge of no insurance and banned him from driving for two years.

TD’s appeal to Taoiseach over Garda station

A plea to Taoiseach Michéal Martin to assist in the provision of a new garda station in Sligo was made on Tuesday in the Dáil by independent TD Marian Harkin.

Deputy Harkin, who has raised the need for a new station, told the Taoiseach she was “shocked” at what she saw when she and colleague Cllr Marie Casserly recently visited the station at Pearse Road.

She said: “This station is unfit for purpose, it was built in the 1840s and whilst some refurbishment has taken place, the building is still totally inadequate.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say I was shocked. Sligo gardaí have submitted a brief for the refurbishment of the station and 40 per cent of their requirements are not being met. It’s a long list.

“Let me be clear, Taoiseach, I am not asking you to intervene in an operational decision taken by the Garda Commissioner to restructure divisions as part of the new operating model.

“However, as soon as the commissioner took that decision, plans to build a new garda station in Sligo were scrapped, yet before Christmas 2019 the OPW deemed Sligo Garda Station as unfit for purpose.

“The restructuring of the garda divisions meant that approximately 10 staff would move from Sligo, but the new operational model means that additional staff are coming to Sligo.

“In fact in a recent response you told me 20 new staff were coming, so we will have more staff under the current regime than under the old one.” Revisiting the recent history of the station, she said: “A new site was purchased, plans were drawn up, Sligo was part of a PPP [public-private partnership] with Macroom and Clonmel, but it now dropped and the money has gone elsewhere.”

Council praised for management of rights of way

Sligo County Council has been identified in a new case study paper by the OPW as a local authority which has implemented good practice in terms of recording and managing public rights of way in the county.

A new case study paper published by Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has researched and analysed how local authorities manage and record the issue of Public Rights of Way (PROWs) in their respective counties.

The report cites the Sligo County Development Plan 2017-2023 as recognising the value PROWs can play in rural development generally and coastal tourism specifically. The report outlines how the Sligo County Development illustrates six PROWs which are all located in popular coastal settings providing public access to the seashore. Moreover, the Sligo County Development Plan usefully signals that the inventory of PROWs is a non-exhaustive list and that the omission of a right of way from their inventory shall not be taken as an indication that such a right of way is not a PROW.

The paper entitled ‘Public Rights of Way and the Local Development Plan: A Survey Report on the Operation of Section 10(2)(o) of the Planning Act,’ details investigative research and analysis of current practices regarding PROWs, publishes findings of a survey of local authority development plans and outlines good practice in the area. Planning regulator Niall Cussen said: “Sligo County Council have recognised the value and importance of clearly identifying PROWs in their development plan. “Consequently, this will mean that the public are better informed about what and how these amenities in Sligo can be accessed and enjoyed.”

Last weekend to enter club’s holiday raffle

This weekend is your last chance to enter fundraiser for a dream holiday.

St Michael’s GAA Club is hosting a raffle – Lockdown Lift Off – for a range of prizes which includes an Apple MacBook and a heifer.

The raffle has been running for more than two months and has been supported on social media by celebrities such as Kevin Kilbane, Pat Spillane, Ryan McHugh, Dharmesh Sheth, Dan Ewing and Danny O’Reilly.

The top prize is the perfect remedy after 18 months of lockdown with the lucky winner heading for an eight night trip to New York and Las Vegas with €2,000 spending money thrown in.

Many entrants have also been targeting the second

Happy ninth birthday to Aniela Jaworowicz. From Mammy and Daddy.

prize of a show heifer worth €1500 which has been proving very popular in the agricultural community and the third name out of the hat will be taking home the Apple MacBook laptop.

“We have been delighted with the response so far and we have to commend the effort from the club members who have worked very hard. This fundraiser will have a lasting effect on the clubs future for many generations to come. We hope to sell out out of tickets before Sunday’s draw”, said club chairman Joe Taaffe. Tickets are on sale for €20, or you can buy three for €50. Tickets are available from St Michael’s GAA Facebook page or from the www.stmichaelsgaasligo.com. Club members

will also have tickets should you not be able to purchase one online.

The draw will be live this Sunday at 8pm on St Michaels GAA Facebook page.

Man was drunk surrounded by empty bottles

A Sligo man who pleaded guilty to public order offences has been fined €100 at the district court.

Russell Forde, 38, from Yeats Drive, Cranmore, admitted charges of public intoxication and using threatening and abusive behaviour on Castle Street on November 25 last year and a charge of public

Cairde Word Short Story competition winner Nico Vreeland with judges Sinead Gleeson amd Louise Kennedy and Niamh Ní Mhurchú of Callan Tansey Solicitors, who sponsored the prize. intoxication at Sligo University Hospital on November 27 last year.

The court was told that the defendant was very drunk and unsteady on his feet in Castle Street, was slurring his words and was incoherent and surrounded by a large quantity of empty alcohol bottles.

At one point he staggered out into the middle of the street in front of traffic and was arrested and brought to Ballymote Garda Station.

The court heard he had five previous convictions, including some for public order offences.

Defence solicitor Gerry McGovern said the defendant had an alcohol history and when he was good, he was good, but he then drinks too much and is incapable of looking after himself.

The gardaí came to his rescue on the first occasion. On the second occasion he had fallen and hit his head and was in hospital.

Judge Raymond Finnegan fined the defendant €100 on the threatening and abusive charge and took the public intoxication matters into consideration.

People advised not to swim at Dunmoran

Following the discovery of elevated levels of e-coli in samples taken at Dunmoran strand in west Sligo, people are being advised not to bathe there. The discovery was made following water monitoring on Monday last was carried out at Sligo’s five bathing water beaches.

Sligo County Council staff have erected a bathing water advisory notice at the beach that will remain in place until it is proven there is no risk to bathers.

With more sampling ongoing and temperatures predicted to rise to 25 degrees and more, the council hopes the advisory notice can be removed before this weekend to allow bathing at the popular beach.

Nico is winner of short story competiition

A Sligo-based writer was the winner of the inaugural Cairde Word Short Story competition. The event – held as part of the Sligo Cairde Arts Festival – was held at

The Model last Saturday as the three best entries were revealed by judges Sinead Gleeson and Louise Kennedy. Emerging from a field of 460 entries, Nico Vreeland’s work, King’s Freaks, was declared the winner of the top award. Dolores Walshe, a writer from Carrick-on-Shannon, took second place, while Robert Barrett from Wicklow was declared the winner of the third placed award.

More on Cairde Sligo Arts Festival on pages 42 & 43.