Wicklow News

Fred Barry, the chairman of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, has given the Oireachtas health committee an update on the progress so far.

Fianna Fáil is accusing the government of under reporting its overspend on health this year.

The Minister for Health Wicklow T.D. Simon Harris is coming under pressure to resume the clinical audit of CervicalCheck that he stopped in May 2018.

There was an 80 percent increase in the number of people accessing emergency accommodation with the Simon Communities of Ireland last year.

Ireland's biggest hospital has come under fire for offering staff cash prizes to discharge patients faster.

The inquest into the death of Mark Hennessy, who abducted and killed Jastine Valdez, which was expected to resume today at the Dublin Coroner's Court, has been deferred until next January.

25 people were homeless in County Wicklow in October. That's up from 20 people living in emergency accommodation in the county in September.

The renowned Harbour Bar in Bray will form part of a series of posters by Roger O'Reilly, immortalising the country's vintage pubs, that will feature at The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair taking place in the RDS this coming week.

Earlier this month  Boy A received a life sentence for murdering the 14 year old Kildare schoolgirl, while Boy B was sentenced to 15 years detention.

The Health Minister, Wicklow T.D. Simon Harris has move to reduce fees for minor injury units, as part of an effort to reduce the numbers waiting on trolleys.

The Health Minister says he respects Lorraine Walsh's decision to resign from the CervicalCheck steering committee.

The Irish Farmers Association says it's disappointed to walk away from today's Beef Market Taskforce meeting without a price increase for beef farmers.

The Irish Times feeder school report shows if you go to a fee paying school, you're much more likely to go to college and get into a course with the highest points.

Figures compiled by Daft.ie reveal homes within a kilometre of rail or tram stations cost 15 per cent more.

Police in Wales are appealing to Irish families of missing people to provide them with DNA.

The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and provides funding for the expansion of new outdoor recreational projects.

An extra 5 thousand jobs are expected to be created in the tourism industry next year.

The funding, that will cover 2020 to 2024, will see increased service reliability and punctuality as well as improved journey times.

The board of Ireland's largest dementia care home located just north of Bray has announced that it has been left with no option but to cease residential admissions with immediate effect,

Voters in Dublin Fingal, Dublin Midwest, Cork North Central and Wexford had their say on who should be their new TDs yesterday.

The contract is worth in excess of €800 million, over 5 years includes delivery of services for 218 routes nationally with excess of 220 million customer journeys to be provided over the course of the contract

This is the second massive protest planned in Dublin, after over 20,000 people protested over climate change on the 20th of September, saying climate action needs to take place now.

The Property has been sold after being closed for a number of years.

Mywaste.ie has been set up in a bid to tackle illegal dumping.

Minister for Sport Shane Ross said he's not in a position to publish the report or comment on it.

The architect’s three-bedroom house is located at the end of a cul-de-sac off Kerrymount Avenue in Foxrock with an asking price of €595,000.

Two angling initiatives in Wicklow are to benefit from funding awarded through Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Gardai have begun night-time air patrols in Wicklow to prevent Christmas trees being stolen.

"Know The Score" is a new resource for teachers aimed at highlighting the risks associated with substance use among teenagers.

Currently councillors get a wage of around 17 thousand euro a year plus expenses.

Until that decision is made, there can be no progress towards hiring the Principal, establishing a Board of Management or locating accommodation.

They’re among 405 schools across the country who will share more than €30 million in funding for Summer Works projects in 2020.

Transport Minister Shane Ross says it's about changing attitudes and saving lives.

An international project involving local authorities in Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford with their counterparts in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in Wales has been launched today.

According to the Irish Times, they’ve applied to demolish a single-storey, fire-damaged dwelling known as Meadow Garden and build a two-storey, four-bedroom house with a new entrance at Farm Lane at the back of their existing home.

The Health Information and Equality Authority guidelines say 95% of patients should be handed over by Ambulance crews to emergency departments in 20 minutes, while the HSE guideline is a 30 minute turnaround.

She won in a record time of 28 minutes 41 seconds in the 8 kilometre race at the Sport Ireland Campus.

The multi national micro-chip giant has been given planning permission for a new facility at its base in Leixlip in County Kildare.

The group of 16 were discovered in a container on the vessel during its sailing from Cherbourg.

So far this year, over 3,700 people have applied for asylum in Ireland - the highest in over a decade.

It’s been confirmed that the new Primary Health Care Centre in Bray will finally open to the public by the middle of next year.

The Minister for Education says oversubscribed secondary schools that apply for extra temporary accommodation for September 2020 will be fast tracked if possible.

After eight weeks on the market, Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan has agreed the sale of her Pine Lodge home on the New Road in Greystones for just over 1.6 million euro.

A DJ set by Basement Jaxx and the Divine Comedy are two of the headline acts announced for Kaleidoscope next year.

Vikings: Valhalla is a new original series that continues the story of the popular Vikings saga.

A Wicklow visitor’s attraction has taken top prize in the themed entertainment section of an international awards competition.

12 high-speed internet hubs have been earmarked in Wicklow under the government’s national broadband plan, announced in Laragh yesterday.

It would stop elected representatives holding up developments, according to the Irish Independent.

A Councillor in Arklow says a coastal walk on the north side of the town will receive funding, despite claims yesterday by Wicklow T.D. John Brady it was overlooked by the Department of Rural and Community Development.

School Caoimhin Naofa in Laragh played host to the Taoiseach and a number of cabinet Ministers for the event, which aims to bring high speed internet to 1.1 million people, largely in rural Ireland.

According to the Sunday Times a planning application for development on the Herbert Road site was lodged with Wicklow County Council last week.

A total of 37 million euro has been allocated to 994 different projects nationwide with 37 different sports to benefit from the funding boost through the Sports Capital Grant.

It's emerged that critical upgrade works for the N81 won’t be carried out in the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027 and can’t be included in the National Roads Programme.

13-thousand 466 people have been left waiting on a trolley in emergency departments so far this year.

The Dun Laoghaire TD says she's disappointed with the decision and will take time to reflect on it.

Much of its 26 million euro plan for the season will be spent on home care packages and moving people out of hospitals.

That's the finding of a new Oireachtas report that looks at the impact of homelessness on children.

The Environmental Protection Agency says further boil notices will be put in place if the Leixlip water treatment plant doesn't maintain safety levels.

The cost of remedial works at dozens of schools with building defects, including Greystones Educate Together National School, has reached 40 million euro.

This compares with an increase of 2 per cent in the year to August and an increase of 8.5 per cent in the twelve months to September 2018.

A High Court judge has ruled that he cannot change an order he made, preventing the publication of the names of a convicted Wicklow child rapist and his victim.

Sewage from the equivalent of 77,000 people in 36 towns and villages is released into the environment every day without treatment.

A new way for patients to raise complaints about the Irish health system is being launched today.

First-time buyers in parts of Dublin are spending up to 40 percent of their income on their mortgage.

It's part of new laws aimed at tackling our relationship with drink.

The latest rental report from Daft.ie shows that rents in Wicklow were on average 3.8% higher in the third quarter of 2019 than a year previously. with the average listed rent now at €1,422.

Local politicians have expressed their shock at the development

Widening the glen of the downs to facilitate a third lane for buses, is among a number of proposals on the cards for improvement works on the N11-M50.

There’s growing pressure on the government to intervene and ensure the future of 120 jobs in Arklow.

Gardai will be able to issue a €120 fine to drivers found to be endangering a cyclist.

RTÉ says the 200 jobs it's planning to cut next year will be done so on a voluntary basis.

Bray Wanderers have confirmed manager Gary Cronin has commited his future to the club for the next two seasons until 2021.

Just under €3.6 m in funding has been allocated to Baltinglass for Rural Regeneration.

The 704-mile race ,which starts and finishes off the pier head at Wicklow Harbour, is part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club Season’s Points Championship.

The new €2 billion plan was drawn up after thousands of submissions from people, with almost half concerned they'd lose their bus service and a quarter worried they'd have to get off one bus and onto another.

It will be available on two routes stopping off at areas including the Airport, Swords and Knocklyon.

Figures obtained by Fianna Fáil show 130 children with disabilities in North and East Wicklow are now overdue for a needs assessment.

217 thousand tonnes of salt will be available to grit the country's roads this winter.

The government has announced plans for a number of new environmental taxes to start coming into effect from next year.

Wicklow County Council is looking at developing a plan to protect biodiversity at Brittas Bay.

Plans for the development of a primary care centre in Arklow have been further delayed.

The boy, who one expert believes still poses a risk of violence to others, was 15 when he attacked and left the woman for dead in 2017.

Plans to open the long awaited Wicklow Hospice near Brittas Bay this December have been deferred.

Home owners in Wicklow are among almost a million throughout the country who will have to pay a higher property tax next year.

97 percent of doctors say they are concerned about their profession’s response to climate change and pollution.

The parents of Jastine Valdez, who was abducted in broad daylight and killed, say they'll never understand how such evil can exist in the world.

Katie Taylor has become a two-weight world champion after beating Christina Linardatou on points to take the WBO super-lightweight title.

Despite being announced in June, campaigners say delays in its implementation is leading to patients emigrating, travelling abroad frequently, or buying on the black market to get the drug.

According to the Irish Times, trade union SIPTU said it was in dispute with eight organisations under agreements with the HSE, over the restoration of payments which had been cut following the economic downturn.

Over a third of Ireland's rivers and lakes are now littered.

The site has been lying idle since 2006 when Dell relocated to Cherrywood with the loss of 1,000 local jobs.

The group was approved a grant of €195,000 from the Government’s Leader ‘Location Action Groups’ fund to assist in construction costs at the 10 acre green field site.

A further 700 people are waiting to be allocated one after suffering abuse in the past.

Leo Varadkar has ended speculation about a November dash to the country.

The Department of Rural and Community Development says it understands 7 committees had submitted an email application for Tidy Towns 2019 which it didn't receive.

The interim report claims owners are refusing to sell empty properties in the hope that prices will increase.

Rafal Skara, originally from Poland, failed to return to his home in Artane in North Dublin after spending a day paragliding over the Wicklow mountains.

The charter will commit local government to driving forward meaningful climate action in their communities, through the actions set out in the Climate Action Plan.

An Bord Pleanála has endorsed the county Council’s planning permission for a major new Data centre in Arklow.

The Wicklow estate that was home to the late Guinness heir Garech De Brún, has been sold, two and a half years after it was placed on the market.

The region has one of the highest numbers on waiting lists for the age group in the country after excluding city regions while just 16 people, all children and teenagers, were waiting in Carlow-Kilkenny.

Wicklow County Council has provided €30,000 towards the purchase and transfer of lands from Roundwood and District Athletic Club to the local authority.

A dedicated public transport police could help combat a rise in anti-social behaviour on trains.

Now in its 5th year, the national environmental awards celebrate businesses who are putting innovative recycling and waste management practices into place across the country.

The event, in its 40th year has taken place with over 20,000 runners.

It’s uncertain what will happen with the premises which is on the same site as Tesco.

Olympic gold medallist Ronnie Delany has had a housing estate named after him in his hometown of Arklow, County Wicklow.

Wicklow County Council has applied for funding to the National Transport Authority to carry out a transport study in Arklow.

That's according to a new Environmental Protection Agency report into the country's greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest figures show Irish radio stations hold a massive 85% share of the “listened to” audio market in Ireland. This compares with 7.8% of those who listen to their own music, 5.6% using Spotify and 1.1% listening to Podcasts.

118 people have died on Irish roads so far this year.

Irish Water is moving forward with works on the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant and has submitted an application to the Minister for Housing Planning and Local Government for a foreshore licence to develop the project.

Siptu says all 80 staff in the Citywest facility will be affected.

A site on the former Bray golf club lands on the outskirts of Bray, has been placed on the market with a guide price of €27.5m

The ESB has announced the introduction of pricing for its public electric vehicle charging network.

Leo Varadkar pledged he would make the apology after meeting members of a patient support group.

Wicklow TD Pat Casey and his party colleague Councillor Gail Dunne say they have serious concerns about the news that the post office in Roundwood may close.

Three quarters of delegates backed a Central Council motion at Congress to introduce the change for the next three seasons.

Ways at restricting e-cigarette ads are being considered by the Health Minister.

An Bord Pleanala says it's dealt with 100 cases - but decided not to grant planning permission in 34 of them.

Leinster confirmed the number 8 went under the knife after he was forced off Ireland's rugby World Cup squad after sustaining the injury in the lead up to the pool game against hosts Japan.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring is providing an extra  €5 million in additional funding for ten areas that are most advanced in the delivery of the LEADER Programme, which funds local area projects. 

Paul Quinn left before a meeting of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board in August.

Set in almost 14 acres and boasting it’s own private lake, the property has gone on the market for €2.25 million.

In total, 286 vehicles were found to be speeding out of almost 205,000 checks.

A number of community groups and schools in Wicklow are celebrating their achievements following the 10th Annual PURE Mile Awards which took place earlier this week.

Investigations are continuing into a fatal stabbing in Loughlinstown in South County Dublin earlier this week.

Yesterday, Justice Caroline Costello of the Curt Of Appeal said that the council itself dumped vast amounts of waste on the illegal Whitestown site near Baltinglass over two decades and was aware, or should have been, from at least the mid-1990s of the “shocking” breach of the Waste Management Act.

The site will highlight events taking place in the town, as well as providing local information on places to visit and things to do.

There's been a rise in complaints from passengers on Dublin bus routes taken over by private operator, Go-Ahead. 

Wicklow County Council has been allocated €167,980 under the Rural Water Programme.

Parking Tag, allows motorists to pay for parking through an app app, by SMS or a phone call.  

That's despite the company being awarded a permanent license.

The children's ombudsman claims young people have died by suicide because of the government’s 'inaction' on mental health.

Darklands stars newcomer Dane Whyte O’Hara as 16 year old Damien Dunne, who gets in under his head and risks his dreams of going pro.

The performance of Wicklow County Council in key service areas is detailed in a new report from The National Oversight and Audit Commission.

Trams on the line are being extended by 11-point-one metres and are increasing passenger capacity from 319 to 408.

A new clamping code will take effect from January 2020.

Ireland has less than half of the mental health rehabilitation teams it needs, with none in Donegal, Wicklow or North Tipperary.

Nearly 250 children have been waiting at least two years to see a speech and language therapist.

A new €230,000 mobile library has been launched by Wicklow County Council.

The minister for Education Joe McHugh has performed the official opening of Saint Coen’s National primary school.

The Clareman will take charge of the Model County for a further two years.

There have been calls on the Minister for Health to urgently set up safety zones around abortion facilities.

From November, new houses will have to comply with a near-zero energy efficiency of A2.

Rents have increased by 7 percent around the country in the last 12 months.

Gardai have confirmed Wexford Town will be the new location for the regional headquarters in the eastern region serving Counties Wicklow and Wexford.

A report from the Environmental Protection Agency has shown that Longford has twice the level of harmful plastics in the air when compared to Bray, here in county Wicklow.

An old black and white photo led locals to the spot where the sign had been covered over.

There’s anger in Wicklow after Councillors voted to increase the local property tax by 10% above the base rate.

The five star resort was put on the market last year with an asking price of 80 million euro.

The National Transport Authority is proposing the rise because the cost of operating a taxi has risen by 4 per cent since 2017.

Land left abandoned at Sean Moore Park had grown into a vital habitat for frogs, bats, newts, and an endangered species of eels.

Irish Rail hopes a new initiative will reduce overcrowding on trains when people usually make their way to work.

Duke Street and Leinster Street junction in Athy and the N81 near Poulaphouca Bridge are among the worst accident black spots in the country.

11 new towns will become autism-friendly over the next 12 months.

Health minister Wicklow TD Simon Harris was set to give the keynote address at the Irish Hospital Consultants Association's annual conference today.

The Irish pop duo have announced a new record deal with London based independent record label frtyfve

A video of the draw has been circulating on social media in recent weeks, attracting comments that it was an unfair process and needs to be investigated.

Councillor Paul O’Brien, who is based in Wicklow town, says he has put his name forward after the former T.D. and current county councillor Anne Ferris decided she wouldn’t be seeking to run for one of the five Dail seats in the county.

Over €714,000 has been approved in funding for 25 community groups around the country for the development of specialist sensory gardens.

Health Minister, Simon Harris, says he's concerned about the number of children vaping and the way companies target children, with the different colours and flavours.

The public services card was brought in as a way of accessing welfare services. 

A man in his 20’s who died in a fatal single vehicle collision on the outskirts of Gorey in the early hours of Sunday Morning has been named locally as Eoin Cassin from Wicklow.

The Herald had reported that the project will also take Gardaí from other suburbs on the southside, rather than take on new staff.

The Health Minister Wicklow T.D. Simon Harris has been given the go ahead from the Attorney General, to ban un-vaccinated children from creches.

The government is to bring forward plans to ban single use plastics.

The recommendation is part of a comprehensive report, released on foot of a complaint lodged with the EPA in July by local TD John Brady in relation to foul odours emanating from the Sewage Treatment works.

The National Transport Authority is also aiming to ensure private bus firms run low-floor buses by 2026

Wind energy operators want the government to urgently support the development of more offshore wind energy.

Almost 9 in 10 community groups around the country believe the government isn't doing enough to tackle rising insurance costs.

Local residents say household rubbish and commercial waste is being dumped illegally in the area.

Bray Lakers officially opened their new premises in the town earlier this year. 

Simon Harris has been described as a poor and ineffective Minister by the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

The woman fought off her attacker, who targeted her while she was jogging at Avondale Park in Rathdrum on the afternoon of July 15th last.

With close to 90 million euro at stake, three councils voted last night to keep the rate cuts at the same levels as before.

The Health Minister says Ireland’s measles-free status is at risk if parents stop vaccinating their children.

The Minister for Education Joe McHugh has invited patron bodies to apply for the patronage of six new post-primary schools to be established next year.

September to December is a particularly important time for grey seals as it is the breeding season during which time the adults seek safe sites to  “haul out” on land.

A recent Oireachtas Committee report recommended that so-called ‘no fry zones’ be implemented around schools in a bid to tackle the issue.

The garden county's final figure is expected to rise as donations are still being counted and other fundraising events are also being planned.

More than 500 cases were investigated by the Passport Service last year.

The move comes as part of radical changes to the way the force operates. 

Four people arrested in connection with the shooting of a man in Dublin yesterday have been released without charge.

Cork and Kerry have the longest waiting lists, with a total of 705 children waiting to be seen.

Gardai say there may be people protecting the person who murdered a Dublin teenager 20 years ago, without realising it.

The scheme involves the upgrade of the N81 National Secondary Road at Knockroe Bend situated approximately 800 metres south of Hollywood Cross over 1 kilometre.

An online survey's being conducted to find out the main issues that are of concern to people around the country.

Of the 8 granted, 7 were for owner occupied homes.

Details of the Executives capital spending plan have been revealed.

Newtownmountkennedy ETNS opened in its temporary accommodation during the week opposite the Community Centre in the town.

 The initiative is expected to do more than categorise or classify issues such as vacant premises but also be a creative process that highlights possibilities and pathways to enable positive changes for the town.

The government has set aside a total fund of 25 million euro which will be divided amongst 57 successful applicants to the SEAI Communities grant scheme.

The Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has instructed them to delete part of a major development plan.

Following his headline performance at Electric Picnic, Hozier will bring his Wasteland Baby! World Tour home to Dublin’s 3Arena on 10th December 2019.

The decision comes after more than 91 per cent of parents voted in favour of the idea in June.

The Irish Youth Hostel Association - An Oige – which operates three facilities in County Wicklow, is in danger of closure after 88 years, because of financial difficulties.

€50,000 has been granted to Knockananna National School for footpath works, while  €50,000 has also been granted to Rathcoyle National schoool for the development of a Multi Use Games Area.

The HSE says 112 lives could be saved every year if the uptake rate improves.

Owner Ken O’Connor previously sold a winning ticket worth 5.7 million euro at another of his spar stores in Dublin.

CSO figures show that Wicklow had the highest proportional increase in new electric cars licensed in the first half of 2019, with 4.7% of all Electric cars sales  licenced in Wicklow.

An in-depth study of our coasts and waterways shows just 16 percent are clean. 

The school is among 36 primary schools nationwide that have been selected for the scheme.

According to new figures from Forest Industries Ireland, over 36,260 hectares of forestry across the garden county are absorbing an extra 169,200 tonnes of CO2 each year, the equivalent of taking over 78,300 cars off the road.

Wicklow’s vacancy rate was 12.2% in the in the second quarter of 2019, down 0.2% compared to the same period in 2018 according to the latest GeoView Commercial Vacancy Rates Report

A total of €8 million will be invested in the re-development entitled ‘A Place for Visionaries’ and is set to open in 2021.

The Municipal District remains the only one in the county without aquatic facilities for the community of around 26,000.

The plant has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following a number of overflows into Dublin Bay.

Plans have been lodged for more than 1,400 homes in Wicklow and Dublin

The Enterprise Office, part of Wicklow County Council, provides a wide range of supports to new and existing businesses located within County Wicklow. 

The service is a collaborative arrangement between Wexford Bus and the pub owner Charles O’Reilly Hyland, who agreed to facilitate the programme.

The small island off the coast of Howth in Dublin has been sold to the hotel group, Tetrarch Capital.

Judges handed out €21.2 million in fines in 2018 - but only €6.8 million have been paid, according to details released under the Freedom of Information Act. 

Waterbrand Holdings Limited was previously given planning permission for the 25-bedroom development at the South Quays which would be constructed out of used shipping containers.

Both the size of the bus and dealing with passengers are some of the issues holding women back, according to the transport firm.

New figures show rental prices in Dublin's commuter counties of Wicklow, Meath and Kildare and are now 35% above their previous high in early 2008.

The HSE has awarded a contract for a new block of wards at University Hospital Limerick to Western Building Systems. 

There are also claims at premises in North Dublin, Louth and Limerick through phased dispensing.

Papers were lodged in the High Court last Friday.

The stamp is one of a series launched to celebrate four libraries around the country founded by the Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on the centenary of his death.

The building dates back to the 1880’s.

Their project looks to combat plastic waste pollution.

The well known Downshire hotel in Blessington, which was the venue for the wedding of Gay Byrne and his wife Kathleen, closed down in 2005, and became an art gallery.

They rose by 2 per cent in the year to June, compared to 2.6 per cent in the twelve months to May.

The works began last week and are expected to take six weeks to complete and will involve resurfacing the road from Kilteel Junction up to the Blessington Inner Relief Road junction with N81.

The Child and Family Agency failed to notify Gardai about referrals relating to willful child neglect as well as physical and sexual abuse in a 'timely' manner in one of its service areas.

There've been calls on Irish Water to publish a plan for stopping wastewater leaks into Dublin Bay.

The Paul Hogarth Company has been approved to create a new design plan for the core centre of Greystones across a broad scale of projects.

This initiative is the latest attempt to stamp out racism on the transport network. 

Irish Rail says the penalties were for different types of fare evasion.

The charity says it's busy at a number of its care centres due to the volume of animals it's looking after. 

It comes just one week after a 208 bed development in Dublin was granted planning permission.

 It’s expected building works will take up to 12 months to complete.

The land has been in the ownership of the IDA since 1999.

25 projects have been given the green light in nine counties, including Wicklow Wexford and Kildare.

There’s more good news for Arklow this morning.

The plans will see someone get a referral to the HSE the first time they're caught, then a Garda caution before being prosecuted the third time.

A new bill will see the TV licence fee apply to laptops, tablets and other devices that people use to watch programmes. 

It's feared the suspects in an alleged sex assault on three girls in County Wexford may have left the country.

Over €110,000 has been spent on keeping the courthouse in Wicklow Town closed since 2010.

The Department of Social Protection has launched investigations into 3,300 cases of suspected welfare fraud this year.