Search Results for 'Therese Ruane'

The Fine Gael party in Castlebar has not made any deal with Fianna Fáil councillor Blackie Gavin to get him to support former town councillor Kevin Guthrie’s appointment to a vacant post on Mayo VEC, according to Cllr Ger Deere. The post, which was vacated by Fine Gael councillor Noreen Heston when she resigned from the VEC in March, was filled by former Mayor of Castlebar, Kevin Guthrie, on Tuesday night when he beat fellow nominee Tony Deffley by five votes to four in council chamber. “I can categorically deny that any deal has been done with Cllr Gavin in relation to him supporting Kevin Guthrie for the post in the VEC,” Cllr Deere said. “He made up his own mind in relation to it and thinks Kevin Guthrie is the best person for the position.”

The Castlebar Joint Policing Committee was told this week that the head shops were always one step ahead of legislation, despite public concerns. Castlebar Mayor Cllr Michael Kilcoyne asked town engineer Sean Higgins what the current situation was in relation to proceedings taken by the council on the issue. Mr Higgins informed the meeting that the council was in the process of investigating the planning history of the two head shops in the town, and had sent a warning letter to one shop.

Sinn Féin councillor Therese Ruane has called on Mayo County Enterprise Board to meet with Credit Unions across the county to initiate a small business loan scheme. Cllr Ruane believes that such a scheme would save dozens of small businesses and hundreds of jobs across Mayo.

The work to rule by members of the public sector saw Castlebar Town Council meet last week without a town engineer or assistant in his place. “Because of the industrial action neither the town engineer nor his assistant nor other members will be here,” town manager Seamus Granahan told the meeting. “I suggest that we would have our next meeting during working hours.”

Some people are afraid to protest outside head shops because of the kind of people who ‘may’ be involved in them, the February meeting of the Castlebar joint policing committee was told. The committee was debating the protest held outside the two head shops in the town last week, when Fine Gael councillor Eugene McCormack made this suggestion. “It was a good solid performance and we got on the national media and made a mark,” Cllr McCormack told the meeting. “It’s regretful that it is not easy for the public to come and stand in front of a head shop because of the type of people who could be involved in them.”

Castlebar Superintendent Willie Keaveney told the Castlebar joint policing committee that residents need to report incidents of anti social behaviour if they want to see action taken by the Gardaí to curb it in the town. The superintendent told a meeting on Monday: “We have been meeting with residents of the estates in relation to this issue and we have the powers under anti social behaviour laws to deal with issues, but it will mean that residents will have to come forward and provide evidence if we receive a complaint.”

“If there are buses coming from Sligo and Galway to Castlebar for a teenage disco, there is only one thing on the people’s mind and that’s to abuse alcohol.” That was the opinion of Superintendent Willie Keaveney who was speaking at the Castlebar joint policing committee in relation to teenage discos in the town.

Mayor of Castlebar Town Council Michael Kilcoyne laid down a challenge to Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny to introduce a private member’s bill to enact legislation to regulate head shops in the country. Mayor Kilcoyne led a protest organised by town councillors in Castlebar which protested outside the two head shops in the town last Wednesday. When it was put to him that the protest was outside two premises which were acting inside the law as it stands he said: “I accept they are not breaking any law and we need to highlight the lack of any regulation. We have two government TDs in this constituency and we also have the leader of the opposition who can put down a private member’s bill to force a vote in the Dáil.”

Next week’s monthly meeting of Castlebar Town Council will see two motions in relation to the regulation of head shops in the town put before the council. Both Sinn Féin Councillor Therese Ruane and Fine Gael Cllr Brendan Heneghan have put forward motions calling for the regulation of these shops.

Get fit, have fun and help raise funds for Mayo Intercultural Action by taking part in the Flora Women's Mini Marathon on the June bank holiday.