Footpath from outer areas into village – To enable residents to walk to school and shops in safety, I would support the provision of footpaths connecting each end of the village (including Dowdingstown Wood) with the village centre, school, church, pub etc.

Traffic Calming – The road past down the village street is on a steep incline and some traffic calming measures may improve road safety along here.

Broadband – I am aware that coverage in the village is not consistent and I have already been in discussions with Eircom on this – a number of exchanges are due for upgrade later this year.

Amenities – I support the provision of playgrounds and play centres across the constituency. I would be keen to explore what public amenities can be provided for Two Mile House. I would also support the preservation and public enjoyment of nearby natural amenities such as the canal harbour.

Estate Finishing – I would plan to work with the newer developments in village to ensure final finishing to residents satisfaction and progress handover to county council for taking in charge.

Parish Council and Local Groups – I believe it is essential that local representation involves local consultation and I have already engaged with Two Mile House parish council via a very constructive meeting last year on the area plan. I intend to continue such engagement if elected and I am available to meet with any local groups to discuss issues of relevance to Two Mile House.

Local Planning – The Two Mile House local area plan is due to be prepared this year. I consulted residents’ opinions last year on this and, as above, I would plan to engage with the community as the plan proceeds through final stages over the course of the year. (My own submission is here).

Having been around the ward a bit at this stage I now have the details on where exactly does and doesn’t have the service. It all depends on the local exchange, whether or not it is enabled, and then on your own connection and your distance to the exchange. Some houses require a localised upgrade while most will benefit immediately from an exchange upgrade, providing however that the distance from exchange does not exceed 5 KM.

It can be inconsistent at times. There are parts of Caragh where one side of the road has it (high speed broadband) and the other doesn’t. Two Mile House don’t have but are in line when the Athgarvan exchange comes on stream later this year – however it will still depend on distance along the wire.

When I met people in Eadestown a month or so back it came across as the number one issue. I used some of my contacts to track down senior management in Eircom and put it to them. A local techie had also raised it at a First Tuesday meeting recently and a local petition was gathering momentum. I always say credit where its due and I have to say Eircom were very responsive and reacted very positively to the concerns. Originally they told me June but they actually upgraded ahead of schedule last month with the result that the area now has a fully enabled exchange and hence high speed broadband. Result.

One down, two to go (Caragh, Two Mile House). I’ll keep on it.

Minister, Deputies, fellow candidates and friends…

It is a great honour to address you here tonight as a Fianna Fáil candidate for Kildare County council.

The first step of my journey occurred last June when I was nominated by my home cumann of Sallins. I am very grateful for their constant support and I will work tirelessly to fulfil the trust placed in me.

I was delighted to then go on and be selected as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the Naas area – I look forward working with all of you over the campaign ahead.

I would also like to thank my three strongest supporters who are here with me tonight – my wife Ailish and our two daughters, Caoimhe and Niamh … It is their support that makes it all possible and I remain grateful and energised by their faith in me…

________

On a personal level, my own political apprenticeship began by the fireside in county Wexford..

My grandfather especially was a great raconteur and historian, and I was raised on tales of rebellion and 1798, of the ‘rising of the moon’

Of course I am well aware how that struggle was carried out across the fields of Kildare also… in places like Kill, and Johnstown, at the barracks in Naas town,

and indeed in Sallins as well we have our own place of homage, at Bodenstown where Wolfe Tone lies..

I consider myself a Republican in every sense of the word.

In the traditional, narrower Irish sense, as a proud nationalist and one who looks forward to a Fianna Fáil party organised on a 32 county basis, and also to eventual reunification..

But also a Republican in the classic sense, as a believer in this great modern democracy where all are equal, no one above any other..

Social justice is a theme close to my own heart as we must always cherish all the citizens of the nation equally and nurture those who have not..

I believe listening to be the strongest form of leadership .. both on the doors where we hear the human stories.

And in the party where I would plan, as a Fianna Fáil councillor, to draw upon the huge resource that is the pool of knowledge and expertise that lies within the local organisation to be guided by local units and realise the potential of this august organisation…

________

Cairde, tonight all of us are gathered here to launch our local election campaign…

But it is also important to look further down the road, at the five years after polling day which is when the real work will be done..

Over the next council term, local area plans will be introduced in many areas –

Johnstown, Kill, Kilteel and TwoMileHouse are just a few that are to come in the year ahead.. Naas town plan is due for renewal in the next two years also

I have been on the doors and I have heard the stories and needs of our communities…

In every area we must put in place amenities to serve the demands of the population we have seen grow in recent years..

For the families that seek playgrounds for their children …

For the youth clubs that need new centres and new homes

For the sports groups that are living on goodwill, living on borrowed time, or on a borrowed pitch.. Or victims of their own success, struggling with gridlock on a pitch they have outgrown..

We must strongly support facilities for all of these

Already in Sallins, I have been proud to support the initiative to develop a 30 acre site for amenity use, to be used by multiple codes, but spearheaded by Sallins GAA… I have supported it in local meetings, on the streets when a petition was required to reaffirm public support, and I will be proud to support it from the council chamber as the project advances.. The model could become a blueprint for amenity developments elsewhere..

Again at local level, we must keep our roads in good order – be that a laneway in Donore, a junction at Osberstown or completion of the ring road around Naas. . we must progress all these projects large and small..

Whilst we must also promote public transport options at every opportunity..

I was acutely aware of the responsibility and gravity of public service the night I received a phone call recently from a man who literally had no bed for the night – I found him temporary accommodation but reaffirmed the importance of housing strategy to ensure a roof exists over every head…

For employment and local economy we must support local enterprise with infrastructure and other supports .. to ensure success for projects like the Millenium park and the Naas Town Centre to breathe life back into the town..

…and also to include enablement of our rural communities where issues like broadband provision must be addressed (and I am already working on this in places like Eadestown, Two Mile House and Caragh)..

________

A chairde, in recent months I have been campaigning for the election but I have been campaigning for the area for a lot longer…

When, as a daily commuter I helped setup and run the Naas and Sallins rail users group and have campaigned to deliver year after year real improvements for local commuters..

When a bypass was due to cut across the green where my children played and I successfully argued for the route to be moved outside and away from the houses..

For my own estate and others on the bread and butter issues of local representation such as management companies and taking in charge and saving our green spaces..

Or when Sallins village had no recycling facilities and it took me a year of long slog and perseverance but I did not rest until we finally saw the banks installed last Christmas..

A chairde as I stand here tonight as your local election candidate be assured that I will campaign solidly for the entire area, and not just for the election ahead, but for the five years after that if I am given that opportunity…

And over the next two months I will be campaigning to maximise the Fianna Fáil representation on Kildare County Council….

I will work with my colleagues and running mates and with the local organisation..

As we launch that campaign here tonight, no one here doubts the challenges we must face over the coming weeks

But it is my firm belief that a fair-weather politician is no good to anyone…

This is not the time to bow our heads..

This is the time to stand up and be counted…

All of us here tonight are doing exactly that…

The road may be long, our climb may be steep, but I am confident we will reach the summit..

I have no doubt the Fianna Fáil organisation has the resilience, the strength and the courage of its convictions to meet the challenges ahead, both at local and national level.

We have a strong team here tonight..

All of us here are committed.. all of us here are capable.. all of us are Fianna Fáil…

Let us now go from here tonight in full confidence of victory and ready for the fight!

A chairde, buichios anois, oiche mhaith agaibh agus ar aghaigh le Fianna Fail!

Groups in Naas town should contact (045) 980990 or tclerk@naasudc.ie whilst groups outside the town or more specialist queries should be directed to the relevant contact below.

Kildare County Council announces Grant Schemes available for 2009
Kildare County Council announces Grant Schemes available for 2009

With effect from 2007, Kildare Co. Council is engaging in a system of advertising grants available on a co-ordinated basis.
Please see below, a list of the grants available to the citizens, local communities and local development bodies of County Kildare for this year.
Please note, the closing date for receipt of applications is:

Wednesday 18 March 2009 for all grants unless stated otherwise.

COMMUNITY GRANTS SCHEMES 2009
We are now inviting applications for the various grants administered by the Community & Enterprise Department in Kildare County Council. These include Festival Grants, Community Grants and Amenity Grants Schemes.

Festival Grants
These grants aim to promote and support local festivals and celebratory activities in the county that have a tourism, cultural/artistic or community perspective.
Conferences, seminars and commercial activities are excluded from the Scheme.
Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

Community Grants
These grants pertain to community groups and organisations within County Kildare, whose activities promote the well-being of communities in the County and which contribute toward meeting the goals of the County’s 10-year strategy, ‘Kildare 2012.’
Projects in areas concerned with the following will be considered for funding:

Social Inclusion – projects involving groups such as travellers, youth, people with disabilities, refugees & asylum seekers
Community Integration – coming together to jointly address local problems
Community Participation – improving facilities for community use
Joint projects with the local authority
Technical Assistance – preparation of local development and action plans, research, training & facilitation
Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

Amenity Grants
These grants are aimed at community groups engaged in environmental type activity in public open spaces, not within housing estates.
Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

Application Forms
Application forms for all the above schemes are available from:
Maria Allison, Community & Enterprise Section, Kildare County Council, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas.
Tel: 045 980535.
Email: mallison@kildarecoco.ie
They are also available to download www.kildare.ie/countycouncil

GRANTS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF PROTECTED STRUCTURES
Applications are presently being invited by Kildare County Council for the 2009 Conservation Grants Scheme. Please note this scheme is based on the allocation of funding from the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government.
further information please contact Triona Dowling/Sandra Gannon, Kildare Co. Council, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.
Tel: 045 / 980765/980611
Email: jhannigan@kildarecoco.ie

NOTE: Closing date for receipt of applications for Conservation Grants ONLY is Friday 30 January 2009.

KILDARE COUNTY COUNCIL ARTS SERVICE
AWARDS OPPORTUNITIES 2009

Kildare County Council Arts Service invites applications for the following:

Arts Act Grants Scheme

Bursary awards for individual Kildare based artists for the development of their work.
Assistance to groups/organisations/schools towards the cost of projects or events that stimulate public interest in and improve arts practice in the county.
Assistance to groups / organisations for the purchase of equipment
Cecil Day Lewis Literary Bursary Award
The annual Cecil Day Lewis Literary Bursary Award is open to both established and emerging writers and critics in all genres to enable

Research: towards the production of new writings
Formal or informal training: Participation in a professional or post-graduate course, mentoring, or other initiative, which will expand existing practice.
Kildare Dance Summer School Bursary Award
Two bursary awards will be made to dancers, teachers or facilitators to participate in the Kildare Dance Summer School at NUI, Maynooth 20- 24July 2009. The Summer School will have workshops in Choreography, Education, Youth dance and Dance with Disability. The awards include tuition fees and light refreshments.

Music Recording Bursary Award
Two bursary awards will be awarded to musicians, across music genres for a three-day recording opportunity, with Sound Engineer provided, in the Platform 4 Recording Studio in Leixlip Library. Further information about the Platform 4 project is available on www.kildare.ie/artsservice

Tyrone Guthrie Residency Bursary Award
Two bursary awards will be made to artists from all fields for a two-week stay at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, the artist’s workplace in Monaghan. Artists will be selected on the basis of their previous achievements and the project they intend to further during their working residency.

For information about the Tyrone Guthrie Centre see www.tyroneguthrie.ie

Drama League of Ireland Summer School Bursary Award
Two bursary awards are offered for participation on the DLI Summer School 1 – 8 August 2009. For information about the Drama League of Ireland see www.dli.ie

Application forms and further information are available from:

Kildare County Arts Service, Riverbank, Main Street, Newbridge, Co Kildare
Contact Kildare County Council Arts Service Tel: 045-448328, Email: bbrady@kildarecoco.ie

Information is also available on the web www.kildare.ie/artsservice
Closing date for receipt of applications for each scheme is
Wednesday 18 March 2009.

CAPITAL GRANTS
FOR RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2009

We have now opened our 2009 Capital Grants Scheme for Recreational Development.

The purpose of the scheme is to give practical support to local sporting clubs and organisations by helping to fund their development.
Application forms and full details of the scheme are available from:
Cheryl Wilson, Leisure Services Dept., Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas,
Co. Kildare.
Tel: 045 / 980262
Email: cwilson@kildarecoco.ie
Closing date for receipt of completed applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION GRANTS – PRIVATE ESTATES
Grants are awarded towards expenses incurred on estate maintenance, e.g. landscaping, flowerbeds, tree planting and other minor works.
For further information please contact: Pearl Voigt, Kildare Co. Council, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.
Tel: 045 / 980588
Email: pvoigt@kildarecoco.ie
Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION GRANTS – LOCAL AUTHORITY ESTATES
Grants are paid to residents associations for the maintenance and improvement of housing estates. Work such as tree planting, shrubberies, etc. is eligible.
To obtain further information please contact the following:
Mary Behan, Community Worker, North Kildare.
Tel: 045 / 980693
Email: mailto:mcbehan@kildarecoco.ie or
Doreen Daly, Community Worker, South Kildare
Tel: 045 / 980596
Email: ddaly@kildarecoco.ie

Please note closing date in respect of these grants ONLY: Friday 24 April 2009

LOCAL IMPROVEMENT SCHEME 2009
Applications are invited for the above Scheme, which applies to repairs to non-public accommodation roads and bog roads. To qualify, the project must be of benefit to agricultural production and benefit two or more parcels of land owned / occupied by different persons.
Further details and application forms can be obtained from the Roads Administration Section of the Council – Tel: 045/ 980421 and also on www.kildare.ie
Completed applications should be returned to Sonya Kavanagh. Senior Executive Officer, Transportation Department, Kildare Co. Council, Aras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.
Tel: 045 / 980394
Email: : skavanagh@kildarecoco.ie

Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT SCHEME
This scheme applies to repairs to public roads only.
For further information please contact: Sonya Kavanagh, Senior Executive Officer, Transportation Department, Kildare Co. Council, Aras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.
Tel: 045 / 980394
Email: skavanagh@kildarecoco.ie
Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 18 March 2009.

All grants awarded, are subject to a maximum amount available, within limited budget allocations and in accordance the terms and conditions pertaining to individual grant schemes. If a group / organisation is granted an award of monies one year, a fresh application must be made in all cases for support in subsequent years.

Application does not guarantee an award of grant.

All applications are judged on merit of the project/initiative submitted for consideration.

I think the process offers an important opportunity for community input, often the dates tick by with only a few landowners sending anything for consideration, it is important the wider view is taken by someone too and the local community are usually best placed to give the planners a steer with this.

The LAPs now under review in the Naas area are: Kill, Johnstown, Kilteel and TwoMile House.

In some cases I made submissions of my own, as well as meeting with local groups in other cases.

Here is:

My TwoMile House submission

My Johnstown submission

(An earlier submission I made on the Sallins plan can also be seen here)

Now the pre-draft submissions have been taken, the planners will get to work on a first draft area plan for each place, and they will go on display in the new year. There will be another round of public consultation at that stage.