Tag Archives: Pearse McGeough

Cllr Pearse McGeough: Collon Needs Bottle Bank Replaced

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Sinn Féin Councillor Pearse McGeough is seeking a bottle bank for the village of Collon following its removal a decade ago.

Cllr McGeough was approached by community activist Lee Hamill who described the area as being “starved of amenities.”

The Mid-Louth Cllr recalled “the original bottle bank that was there was great but unfortunately when the bottle banks were being emptied and lifted onto the lorry they were coming into very close proximity to overhead ESB cables and so it was ruled it unsafe so it had to be removed from that location.

“That being said, an alternative site needs to be sought in the village so the bottle bank can be replaced. It has never been a more appropriate time to have the bottle bank facility in the village as we are now in lockdown. During the first lockdown the Council had to ensure increased emptying of the bottle banks across the county as people used them more frequently as they were spending more time at home.

“Despite my continued efforts Mid-Louth has no recycling centre so villages and towns rely on these bottle banks to dispose of at least some of their recyclable materials.”

Community activist Lee Hamill, who lives in Collon said “in an age of greater awareness about the climate and our environment, residents of Collon should not be forced to drive out to Ardee or Slane to get rid of their bottles and cans. As a student, I do not have a car or drive as do a number of other people in the village. This is a basic service that is lacking in Collon that others have easy access to. On the one hand we are being encouraged to recycle and on the other the facility isn’t available.”

Councillor McGeough will be asking the Council to source an alternative site in Collon with a view to getting the bottle banks replaced.

Cllr McGeough Stands Against Racism

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Sinn Fein Councillor has welcomed the passing of his motion at last month’s County Council meeting on racism.

In a reply to the Councillor’s motion, the Council told him that there was an imminent launch of a new Louth Meath Migrant Strategy 2019-22 which would hopefully address some of Cllr McGeough’s concerns about the rise of racism in the county particularly in the form of graffiti.

Cllr McGeough said “Thank you for the response and I look forward to the launch of the new Louth Meath Migrant Integration Strategy 2019-22 due later this month. I just hope it is strong enough to deal with the ignorance of a small number of people in this county.

“Since May this year there have been 4 incidents of racist graffiti in Ardee and in July the Gardaí said they was an indication of ‘extreme right-wing groups or persons resident in the locality’ and they have stepped up patrols in the area.

“I myself was targeted by these ring-wing groups and faced a campaign of online abuse by supporters of this right wing extremist Party including a video naming me by their so-called party leader. It wasn’t nice.

After the second graffiti incident which took place on a privately owned fence I took a paintbrush myself and went out and painted over it because I didn’t want the home owners to put themselves at risk after what happened to me.

“The latest incident took place just over a week ago and again, it fell to the decent people of Ardee to scrub it off including 2 young lads from Direct Provision emergency accommodation. They are a credit to the community in Ardee.

“Racism needs to be challenged at every level and it needs to be stamped out before it gets a hold. That lack of education can be challenged by diversity programmes/work-shops that will promote awareness of the problem and equip people with the tools to deal with it or address it as it happens.

“The Irish people are a good people, what we are talking about here is a small minority but they are like a cancer, if it isn’t dealt with it will spread.

“There is an excellent project on facebook at the minute called ‘Black and Irish’ which highlights and celebrates the identity of Black Irish people and seeks to tell people of their experiences, struggles and successes. Some of their stories are heart breaking and very upsetting to hear, the level of racism they have had to put up with.

“Our hate crime legislation needs to be strengthened. We need to send a strong message to the country that we have a zero tolerance for racism and those who carry out a hate crime will be dealt with and punished accordingly. This Council needs to send a strong message to our legislators from all Parties that our current hate crime laws are too weak and need to be rectified as soon as possible before it’s too late and the issue is out of control. We need to be pro-active instead of re-active on issues that we can see coming down the road.”

At this week’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee, Cllr McGeough again raised the issue with teh Gardaí seeking an update. They assured him that it was on their radar but so far there had been no arrests although they were aware of the rise in the issue and had stepped up patrols in the area.

 

Cllr Pearse McGeough: Fund Exposes Scale of Help Needed for Elderly

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Age Action Ireland and the Irish Red Cross launched the Covid 19 Hardship Fund back in April offering a maximum of €500 to older and vulnerable citizens in need of help while they were cocooning.

Councillor Pearse McGeough was just one of many councillors in Louth who were approached by a number of potential beneficiaries who were struggling during the pandemic.

Cllr McGeough said “this fund was badly needed and would cover additional costs that older people were facing during lockdown. For some it could be the upgrade of a phone so they could have visual contact with their families, or it could have been an extra fill of oil because despite the good weather, older people at home not moving around as much feel the cold and they would be at home 24/7 during this time. It was basically to cover additional costs incurred because of Covid 19 to help with their physical and mental well-being.

“Remember, some of these people would rely on support from day centres or family support and suddenly they were cut off from everything as the lockdown occurred. Day centres closed and normal family visits were banned with essentials being delivered to the door and visits taking place through a window or from the garden gate.”

Age Action Ireland and the Red Cross had fundraised over €103,000 but unfortunately were inundated with applications from our most vulnerable and were only able to grant 453 of the 21,000 applications received. The fund brought forward its closing date from August to April because of the sheer volume of applications.

Cllr McGeough said “they sought assistance from the Department of Social Protection to meet the huge demand but unfortunately their calls went unheard so many vulnerable older citizens were left with no additional financial assistance when they needed it most.

“The older people have really suffered during this pandemic and have been proved to be most at risk should they contract it. This payment would have helped them through this both physically and mentally. We really appreciate the efforts of Age Action Ireland and the Red Cross and they have certainly identified the scale of help that is needed among this vulnerable group so it’s now time for the Government to step up and offer financial support to those who need it most.”

Cllr Pearse McGeough: Ardee not deterred after attempted ATM theft

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                    Cllr Pearse McGeough on RTE in Ardee

Sinn Féin Councillor Pearse McGeough has hit out at those responsible for the attempted robbery of an ATM in Ardee in the early hours of this morning.

This is the second attempt on an ATM in the mid-Louth area in the past five weeks and Cllr McGeough has described it as “an attack on the community and on the business community.”

Cllr McGeough described the scene when he arrived to open his weekly clinic in the town. “Part of Irish Street has been closed which is causing disruption to the businesses in the area. Gardaí are on site and there is a mechanical digger and a tractor on the road with a burnt out vehicle nearby. The Ulster Bank appears to have been badly damaged.”

Irish Street, Ardee after the robbery attempt

However, Cllr McGeough was defiant, “these people are no addition to Ardee nor indeed anywhere. Businesses in Ardee are having their last few busy shopping days before Christmas and certainly don’t need something like this but it won’t deter them. Ardee is open for business despite these people and the people of the town will not be deterred, it is business as usual.”

“The inconvenience caused to shoppers and businesses lies solely at the feet of the thieves who are attacking small communities like ours up and down the country.

“Once again, Gardaí resources have been discussed and that is a matter for the Government and the Gardaí to address. I and Deputy Imelda Munster have been very vocal on this issue and are hoarse screaming for more resources to be allocated to Louth Gardaí, especially the rural areas. There was some success last August when a criminal gang who carried out a spate of ATM robberies were apprehended in County Cavan following a joint operation between Gardaí and PSNI but we need more of that. These robberies are still happening and we need to keep the pressure on.”

Cllr McGeough also pointed out that “Gardaí can’t be everywhere but there are things that we as a community can do. Keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity around ATMs, any strange vehicles in the area and also be aware of heavy plant and machinery moving at night. I would also urge owners of plant and machinery to ensure they are secure and immobilised at night when they are not in use.”

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in Ardee between 3am and 5am this morning, or anyone with dashcam footage to contact them at Ardee Garda Station or any Garda station.

If you see any suspicious activity in or around ATMs please phone Garda confidential line 1800 666 111 or Crimestoppers on freephone 1850 250 025

Cllr McGeough Welcomes Traffic Calming in Kilsaran

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Sinn Féin Councillor Pearse McGeough has welcomed new traffic calming measures being introduced in the village of Kilsaran.

Cllr McGeough said “Over the years there have been a number of fatal accidents on the road and I have been approached by a number of residents in the area concerned at the speed of some vehicles passing through.

“With there being a school in the area, child safety was a worry for parents so these new traffic calming measures were designed around that.

“Work will begin in the next month and we will see four or five ramps or raised platforms on the R132 which is the main road in Kilsaran. This will certainly slow vehicles down around the school and will be beneficial for the village in general.”