Your TD for Kildare North
Thank you for visiting my site. I am a Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North. I was first elected to the Dáil in 2016 and Continue Reading →
Heritage Week 2015 in Kildare
Heritage Week 2015 commences on Saturday 22nd August and runs until Sunday 30th August. This year is packed full of exciting events all across the county all of which celebrate Kildare’s rich and varied heritage. The list of events include walks talks and exhibitions celebrating Kildare rich and varied heritage and everyone is invited to get involved. Heritage Week is part of a European Wide initiative with the express aims of fostering awareness of Ireland’s built, natural and cultural heritage, thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation and increasing interest in our shared heritage. The theme of National Heritage Week this year is “From mill to forge, from mind to hand – discovering Ireland’s industrial past”. Kildare has a rich industrial past, including our close connection to railways, equine activities, as well as our varied market and industrial towns. The list of events taking place in Kildare can be found here.
Welcome to Rural Broadband Services in North West Kildare
I welcome the new exchanged based version of fibre powered broadband which was launched in Broadford and Carbury on 29th July. These new cabinets will allow faster internet speeds for local residents and businesses. Broadband is a basic infrastructural requirement now, almost like electricity was at one time, and it is something I feel is a primary requirement for all homes and businesses in this day and age. It is crucial that the best possible service be made available to the maximum number of people. With these new cabinets in North West Kildare it will allow faster internet to an area which has been neglected for some time by internet providers.
Irish Water: An Expensive Lesson on Government Incompetence
This week the European body Eurostat examined how Irish Water was funded and it was found the Government could not shovel debts on the Irish taxpayer “off balance sheet”. Off balance sheet means that these debts wouldn’t appear in our national finances. It was back door borrowing and the Government has been found out. So taxpayers are now officially on the hook for the billions borrowed to set up Irish Water.
This confirmation that Irish Water has failed the market corporation test is the latest fiasco to hit the beleaguered utility company. Since its inception, and despite the numerous controversies which it has become embroiled in, the Government has continued to throw good money after bad in a vain attempt to keep this bonus driven state funded company afloat. The Government must wake up to the mess which it has created, take responsibility and abolish this wasteful entity.
Pedestrian Crossing for Kill Village – UPDATE
Approx. location of where I’d expect the pedestrian crossing to be installed.
I’ve been seeking the installation of a pedestrian crossing in the centre of Kill village at Behan’s shop since before I was elected. It is especially needed now with all the motorway traffic treating the village as a rat run in the evenings. I raised this again at last week’s council meeting and was disappointing to be told that the NTA had refused funding for this project. However I asked that the engineers include this provision in their plans when designing the cycle network which will pass through the centre of the village and this may provide an alternate means of NTA funding. I will keep you updated as that project advances. See my previous note on this going back to 2012 here.
Elected as Mayor of Naas
One of the greatest honours of my political life came this week when I was elected Mayor of the Naas municipal district. In assuming the role at our meeting on Tuesday 21st July 2015, I thanked my predecessor, Cllr. Seamie Moore, as outgoing Mayor who has laid the foundations for many of the projects I hope to pursue. I thank my party colleague Cllr. Robert Power for proposing me and I also remembered a recent Mayor, sadly no longer with us, Cllr. Willie Callaghan.
The town of Naas has a proud tradition of Mayoralty and I believe the role is very important, befitting its status as county town, a proud town, a trading town and one I will work hard to represent. Also now for the first time the wider Naas district can also lay claim to a Mayor as the new local government district includes Sallins, Kill, Johnstown, Kilteel, Eadestown, Rathmore, Ardclough, Ballymore, Kilcullen and Caragh.