Killeigh And Killurin Join Forces To Form Clodiagh Gaels GAA Club

By Justin Kelly

A new GAA club will come into existence in Offaly in the next few weeks after neighbouring clubs Killeigh and Killurin amalgamated, jointly proposing the formation of Clodiagh Gaels. The decision was taken in the wake of dwindling player numbers leaving both clubs vulnerable to outright extinction.

Both Killeigh and Killurin held emergency meetings earlier this month to give the proposal the greenlight. The merger received overwhelming support from both clubs in the co-ordinated vote, and Clodiagh Gaels will formally become the newest Offaly GAA club when the county board ratifies the move at a meeting on March 10.

A recent note from Killeigh GAA read: “After a busy few weeks of meetings and discussions both Killeigh and Killurin GAA clubs voted resoundingly in favour of an amalgamation, thus bringing into existence a new club to represent the two communities. The hurlers and footballers of the wider Killeigh and Killurin areas will now play under the banner of Clodiagh Gaels.”

This will be the second merger in Killeigh’s history after previously joining forces with Raheen in the 1980s and 90s. It will be the second merger in Co. Offaly in just two years after Ballyskenagh and Killavilla formed one club in March 2013.

Falling player numbers has been a problem in the GAA in the last number of years as the downturn in the economy in 2008 led to mass emigration. The midlands was particularly affected as job losses were more severely felt in rural communities. Young people left for the bigger urban centres, as well as moving further afield to countries like Australia.

The Killeigh statement said that “the disbanding of a GAA club is always an emotional issue,” but it expressed hope for a “smooth transition,” owing to the “close ties between the two communities.” 

“The exploits and integration of the players from both communities with underage Na Fianna teams and school teams in recent years will ease the transition. With plenty of hard work both on and off the football and hurling fields along with the continued good will and support of the wider community, Clodiagh Gaels can be a successful club for generations to come,” the statement concluded. 

Tickets Selling Fast For ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ At Birr Theatre

The production opens on March 15

By Justin Kelly

Birr Stage Guild will present a new production of the classic musical ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ at Birr Theatre next month. The hugely popular show, which has been wowing audiences for more than fifty years, will open on Sunday, March 15, running over a week until the following Saturday, March 21.

Set in 1905 during the final years of Tsarist rule in Russia, the local milkman in a village called Anatevka struggles to maintain the traditions and customs of his Jewish heritage. Tevye enlists the help of a matchmaker to find husbands for his five daughters, but the strong willed young women have designs on breaking the shackles of traditional matchmaking, finding love and happiness in their own right.

Tevye is the portal for the audience to enter his story, and he spends long periods pouring his heart out to those gathering to listen. He also sings, dances and prances across the stage at different times, endearing the audience to his emphatic energy of spirit.

The result is a fast paced stream of traditional Jewish songs like ‘If I Were A Rich Man’, ‘Sunrise, Sunset’, and ‘Matchmaker’. "With Director Paul Norton, Musical Director Enda O'Connor, Choreographer Grace Mc Grath, Birr Stage Guild has assembled a highly talented cast of singers and actors, both new and old, for what promises to be one of their finest productions ever," a press release from Birr Theatre read.

‘Fiddler On The Roof’ opened to audiences for the first time in New York in 1964, running for a colossal 3,242 performances. A 50th anniversary production ran across the UK and Dublin last year, and ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ continues to draw crowds across the world. It is a staple of modern and traditional theatre, each production putting its own stamp on it.

The Birr Stage Guild will put their stamp on it this March, and with tickets selling fast, the production is expected to sell out.

“We invite you to become a patron to experience the wonderful Gala Opening Night which has an atmosphere all of its own,” a statement for the production team read.

Ticket Prices:
Sunday Patrons Gala Night €40; Mon €14; Tues/Wed €16; Thurs/Fri/Sat €18

All performances commence at 8pm.

Help Build Tullamore Rugby Club’s New Development By Becoming 'Gold' Supporter

By Justin Kelly

Tullamore Rugby Club have rallied after being denied funding for a new development last year to harness the power of community spirit in continuing the building of new dressing room facilities at their clubhouse.

A huge increase in player participation, especially through the further development of youth and women’s teams at the club, has put an adverse demand on the club’s existing facilities, creating the need for updated dressing room, shower and eco-friendly water harvesting amenities. Despite the club executive receiving approval for this construction work, their subsequent application for funding to the National Lottery in 2014 was unsuccessful.

However, following offers of voluntary support in respect of the building work, the club executive decided at their January meeting to proceed with the works. The work will be carried out by direct labour and club volunteers. In order to raise the funds necessary for materials, the club has devised a plan to offer supporters a Gold Supporter Package at a reduced rate of €350, a sum that will be pumped directly into the new development. “We just need the funds to buy the materials – the volunteers will carry out the work for free,” a club official remarked.

A club statement from the Gold Supporter Package co-ordinator Paddy Galvin read: “As you read through your invitation to become a gold member you’ll see that something really wonderful is currently happening in Tullamore Rugby Club. And the wonderful thing is that more and more volunteers are coming forward to offer their expertise and services for free to help us build new showers and dressing rooms for our rapidly growing club.”

By becoming a gold member on the new scheme, these investors will receive a personal option on home and international tickets for two years, bar vouchers to the value of €50 for two years, a dinner option for two people at every home game for two years, while their name will also be displayed for all the players to see on the dressing room sponsors board. They will also be entered into every club lotto draw for an entire year.

The project will co-ordinated by a committee chaired by club chairman Billy Fryday. This committee will coordinate the funding, volunteers and work to ensure that the project is brought to a successful completion. If you’d like to donate, you can pay the €350 in full or in instalments, you can contact Paddy Galvin on 087-6696911, and he will arrange the rest, including your package of benefits.

“If you become a gold member you’ll play a leading role in helping the club complete these essential works, furthering the development of all levels of rugby in the club, from under-6 upwards,” the statement said.

Offaly TD Condemns Government As Motor Tax Revenue Used To Prop Up Irish Water

By Justin Kelly

Laois/Offaly TD Barry Cowen has hit out at claims that €290 million of motor tax revenue collected nationally last year was handed over to the set-up of Irish Water. Cowen has said his Fianna Fail and Laois/Offaly constituency colleague, Sean Fleming has come into receipt of information as part of Public Accounts Committee meetings that confirms what he calls the “raiding of local tax revenues.”

“I want to know how much of that money was taken from Offaly,” Cowen quipped. €18.8 million was paid by Offaly motorists in motor tax bills in 2014, and Cowen is demanding answers on the issue. “Motorists are under the impression that their motor tax is being spent on upgrading our roads, not funding a lavish new super quango that has failed to muster any public confidence whatsoever.”

Irish Water was founded by the current Fine Gael/Labour government in the summer of 2013, and a series of protests and extended registration deadlines has shrouded the new utility in controversy. 

From January 1 last year, the responsibility for public water supplies in this country was transferred from local county council authorities to Irish Water. Cowen has slammed the company as “a failed entity with no public confidence or support.” “It should not be a further drain on the resources of our people.”

“People will be utterly shocked to hear this news. It comes at a time when over €500m is being wasted on water meters which will not be used for at least 5 years, while another €90m has been spent on consultants’ fees,” Cowen commented. The Clara TD bemoaned the fact that “not one single cent has actually been spent fixing leaks or pipes so far.”

“Irish Water should never have been established in this way,” Cowen wrote in his statement on the issue. “I believe that Fine Gael and Labour have created a monster that they have lost all control over, and now to mask the fiasco, they are plundering money from local services into their failed funding model,” he said.

The first bills for Irish Water are expected to arrive in households in April, and Irish Water say that almost 1.1 million people have now registered for the amenity, meaning a third of people have not yet returned their details. The Right2Water campaign has urged people not to confirm their details with Irish Water, and they have planned their next mass protest against the introduction of water charges for Saturday, March 21.

A Right2Water statement on the planned protest read: “A large turnout on March 21 will not only restate our core assertion that water is a human right and underline our continuing demand for the total abolition of water user charges.  It will also send a clear message that we refuse to be bullied and intimidated.”

Offaly County Council ‘Fully Engaged’ With Scoil Bhride And Residents To Find Killane Drive Traffic Resolution

By Justin Kelly

Senior Executive Engineer with the Edenderry Municipal District of Offaly County Council, John Connelly has said the council are “fully engaged” with Scoil Bhride and Killane Drive residents in Edenderry to “find workable solutions” to the traffic issues that have arisen since the school’s opening earlier this week.

In correspondence with InOffaly on Thursday evening, Mr Connelly said that the council “have been engaging with the residents of Killane Drive, the school, the Gardaí and the parents” over the past few days. “We are aware of some of the traffic issues which have arisen following the opening of the new Scoil Bhride, but we are fully engaged in assisting the school in trying to find solutions to the issues involved,” he added.

Mr Connelly explained that traffic management and regulation in this case “is not the sole preserve of Offaly County Council. “There are responsibilities attaching to the school, the residents, the parents, the road users, and so on,” he remarked.

Residents of Killane Drive in Edenderry have protested by forming a blockade at the entrance to the housing estate, barring access to parents who had begun using the area to drop off and pick up children in their cars at the recently opened Scoil Bhride primary school. A walkway connecting the school to Killane Drive, which was in the plans for the school site back in 2011, was opened for use earlier this week, resulting in excess traffic converging at that point of access. An Offaly Independent article dated August 25, 2011, read: “The site is to be landscaped, with the hedgerow along the boundary with Killane Heights retained and reinforced if needed. Provision for cycle and pedestrian access is to be made through to Killane Drive.”

Residents and parents of young children from Killane Drive and surrounding areas took to social media in recent days to vent their frustrations and objections to the inadvertent influx of traffic that has descended on their previously quiet housing estate. They have expressed concern at the lack of calming measures in place to manage the traffic, and are worried about the safety of children in Killane Drive as a result. One resident wrote: “With over 100 children walking through our estate to access their schools, parents driving through are increasing the risk to these children, and there has already been a report of one near miss with a car and a child.”

A local member of An Garda Siochana attended the scene of the protest at the entrance to Killane Drive on Tuesday and Wednesday, where residents blocked access, stating that they did not want traffic flowing through their estate. On Wednesday, the protesters held a banner which read: “Stop! Walking Only.”

Commenting on the ongoing saga on Facebook, Cllr Noel Cribbin of Offaly County Council wrote: “This is a housing estate with young families and was not built for this traffic; nobody wants to see any child knocked down or hurt.” Cllr Cribbin said he had been in contact with the local engineer to enquire about the plan for resolution. He also reiterated his assertion that Scoil Bhride is “a fabulous new facility” and asked for people to “work together until the teething problems are sorted.”

The council remains in contact with all parties involved, and is committed to reconciling the issue as soon as possible.

Offaly GAA Turns To Croke Park For Financial Bailout

The redeveloped O'Connor Park, Tullamore

By Justin Kelly

Ongoing repayment problems linked to the O’Connor Park redevelopment in Tullamore has led Offaly GAA bosses to request a financial bailout from GAA headquarters at Croke Park.

According to local reports, the GAA’s National Finance Committee recently intervened and will present Offaly with a bailout plan later this month. The Offaly county board recently revealed their repayment struggles, centring on €200,000 in debt owed to creditors involved in the redevelopment of O’Connor Park.

Offaly GAA chairperson Pádraig Boland has said that “O’Connor Park has to be more self-sustaining” going forward, but also re-iterated its potential to do so. “We need to be more focused on that. We have been run like a voluntary organisation, but we need to be more professional,” Boland added.

Boland said he was not casting “aspersions on anyone that has been in control of Offaly GAA before,” and expressed confidence in the ability of the county to get out of the strife currently afflicting its finances. “The people who were here before did very well to keep the ball in the air while playing into a gale force wind but we are where we are and my job as chairman is to lead us out of it,” he remarked. “We need help from Croke Park”, he added.

Offaly are not the first county to encounter financial difficulties in recent years. Kildare and Sligo have both turned to GAA headquarters to request help from the organisation’s central funds.

The bailout plan put forward by the GAA’s National Financial Committee is set to be ratified by officials at an Offaly county board meeting next month.

CCTV Tapes That Could Solve The Death Of Offaly Man Mysteriously Turn Up 13 Years Later

Shane Tuohey

By Justin Kelly

CCTV footage that could solve the disappearance and death of Shane Tuohey in 2002 have been found 13 years after they were reportedly lost by Gardai, according to reports from journalist Philip Boucher-Hayes.

Writing on his website, Boucher-Hayes stated that he has seen “correspondence which shows that 13 years on the tapes have been found, and the truth about what happened may now be established.”

Shane Tuohey went missing after a night out in Clara in February 2002, and after a week long search, his body was discovered by his brother in the River Brosna. Although his family suspected foul play in Shane’s death, Gardai treated his death as a suicide. They collected CCTV tapes from around the town while investigating at the time, but they allegedly went missing while in Garda possession.

This meant that nobody’s movements could be verified from the night in question, and there was allegedly a lot of evidence suggesting that Shane Tuohey had been assaulted. Two individual coroner’s reports concluded homicide in his case. The tapes collected by Gardai would have been crucial to any investigation, but two separate Garda investigations were carried out without the use of the tapes, following their disappearance.

In the post on his personal website, Boucher-Hayes wrote: “On the basis of what he had been told, the then Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, wrote to me in 2006 confirming the tapes hadn’t been available to the investigation team. He wrote that a more professional investigation would have made reference to the CCTV which should have been available. But it would appear that somebody in An Garda Siochana deliberately or accidentally misinformed the Commissioner’s office because I have obtained correspondence which indicates that 17 tapes related to the investigation are in Portlaoise Garda station in addition to other unspecified evidence.”

These tapes may reveal Shane’s last movements, or could corroborate or contradict the statements given by those questioned in the aftermath of the man’s death. Boucher-Hayes wrote: “What is even more puzzling is that it is evident that nobody looked at the tapes. The file sent to the DPP with a Garda recommendation that there was no foul play involved makes no mention of any CCTV evidence.”

Shane’s father Eamonn and his brother Edwin now aim to get their hands on these tapes, and provide them to the Independent Review Mechanism in the Department of Justice that is currently reviewing Shane’s case. During the course of his work on this story, Philip Boucher-Hayes contacted the Garda Commissioner’s office to ask whether or not the tapes will now be handed over to that Independent Review Mechanism, but their reply gave very little away, reading as follows: “As the independent review team is examining this matter, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on it. An Garda Siochana is co-operating fully with the independent review team and will continue to provide them with any information they require.”

The Department of Justice are yet to comment on how they plan to proceed, and both the rediscovery of the tapes after 13 years and Shane’s death itself remain a mystery.