Hopeful of end to water contamination in Carbury

CARBURY, 27 September 2000: by Trish Whelan Up to 180 households in the Carbury, Ballyhagen and Kilshanroe areas have been advised to boil water following contamination of the water supply. However a sample taken last weekend proved clear of contamination and Kildare County Council are hoping a second sample will also have similar results. This could mean an end to the problem.

However the Council’s response to the contamination situation has been strongly condemned by local Cllr Jim Reilly who said the authority has shown ‘a total disregard for the concerns of people affected by the contamination’. The Reilly household is one of those affected.

“We have been unable to get any information, cooperation or assistance on the matter,” he told Monday’s monthly meeting of Kildare County Council. Cllr Reilly said the first indications of any problem was when a preliminary notice to boil water for every purpose including the bathing of children, came through the letter box late on Thursday week. “People immediately became panicky and are in a very serious state of disorientation,” he said.

“I contacted the Council through the emergency number in Newbridge only to be told there was no information available other than to say that a brown discolouration in a sample of water taken from the area the previous day was being tested. However I did receive a commitment that a senior person in the Council’s Sanitary Section would update me on an on-going basis for as long as the notice remained in force.”

However despite his many representations to the authority he said he had received no information or acknowledgment to his messages or enquiries. This he said had only added to the concerns of local residents who suspected that there may be a more serious threat than that indicated. “This was bad PR on the Council’s part and a total indifference to the welfare and health of people in the area.”

Jim Reilly said members of the authority, elected by the public, are entitled to cooperation, assistance and information. He told of having been assured that fresh water would be delivered in tankers to households but said this had not happened and families have to visit relatives in order to bathe and attend to children’s hygiene. “They also have to spend money to buy commercial drinking water from supermarkets.”

Senior executive engineer Des Page confirmed that a sample taken in the Carbury area had shown a discolouration and that a number of tests have taken place in the ten days since then.

“We reacted quickly enough to get notices out to the public,” he said. “On the Saturday a second information leaflet was sent out including the areas of Ballyhagen and Kilshanroe as a precautionary measure. We have narrowed it down to 15 possibilities and are drafting a third notice to householders,” he advised. He said two clear samples were required before an all-clear could be given.

He admitted he was unhappy with the way things had panned out and said the Council is reviewing its procedures to identify incidents and informing the public. He said the advice to boil water was a standard notice in the event of a gross contamination incident. “We didn’t want to give scares but to give people the information to which they are entitled.”

Meanwhile officials said water tankers will deliver fresh water to households in the area. Mr Page undertook to update Cllr Reilly on a regular basis and indicated that he was hopeful the difficulties would be resolved by the weekend.

Naas UDC 'scores' at AMAI

NAAS, 27 September 2000: by Trish Whelan Naas UDC received loud acclaim at the 87th AMAI Conference held in Clonakilty which adopted two motions put forward by the Council. These will now become the policy of local authorities all over the country.

Cllr Charlie Byrne’s motion that people be given a copy of their medical records as a matter of right was greeted with applause by delegates who wanted it extended to include adoptive people having a right to the medical records of their biological parents.

Cllr Byrne said he was delighted that his motion had received such a response. “I thought it was dead in the water,” he said. The motion called on the Minister for Health to pass legislation permitting every resident of the State to be given a copy of their medial records, including those made by their GP. Cllr Byrne said the information could be contained on swipe cards, which people could carry around with them.

A motion by Naas UDC chairman Cllr Pat O’Reilly seeking legislation to grant Urban Councils the responsibilities and power for all the services under their geographical jurisdiction, also sought that the necessary funding be made available to fulfil these responsibilities. This was amended to ‘town councils’.

Gardai to be asked to explain legalities on traveller incursions

NAAS, 27 September 2000: by Trish Whelan Chief Superintendent Sean Feely is to be invited to the October meeting of Kildare County Council to explain the legalities concerning traveller incursions amid a claim that the Gardai are taking a ‘softly softly’ approach to the problem.

Three motions concerning traveller incursions were down for discussion at this week’s meeting of Kildare County Council.

Senator Sean O Fearghail wanted the message sent out that if you damage property in County Kildare, the local authority will follow you to the ends of the earth to collect costs incurred. He wanted this to become Council policy. Referring to the cost implications this would present to the authority, Cllr Jim Reilly said it was wrong to ask the county manager to commit himself to this policy.

Deputy Emmet Stagg TD condemned the Gardai for not using existing legislation to deal with the problem. He said it is a crime to damage property yet was happening, often under the Gardai’s noses and in their presence in some cases without a finger being lifted to do anything about it. “To break into anybody’s property is illegal ... again that was done with impunity. The culprits didn’t need to be found, they were actually there at the time ... and remained there.” He added that in many incidents these same people had broken the Public Order Act in almost every aspect of that Act. He said it is an offence to insult or threaten people in any way, yet this had also happened.

He said the full forces of the law must be used to prevent such ‘criminality’ from occurring. He also referred to the damage caused during recent traveller incursions in Naas and Celbridge. “Ultimately in Celbridge when I complained to the Gardai a posse was put together and effective action taken. Why was this not done in Naas and Kill, and now in the case of the Sallins?” He believed the Council should set up a Task Force to stop such lawlessness, adding that it is ‘like waiting for an invasion from Mars in Celbridge.”

Chairman Cllr Rainsford Hendy said it is unfair that private individuals must pay £5,000 to obtain a court injunction to remove travellers from their property. Cllr Anthony Lawlor said he had written to individual TDs seeking their support to put pressure on the Minister to change the legislation to allow Gardai remove travellers from private or public property.

Cllr John O’Neill said the eight Oireachtas members from Kildare, five of which are members of Kildare County Council, should approach the relevant ministers to change the law on trespass. He believed Kildare ‘gets the full brunt of traveller incursions in the country’.

Cllr Catherine Murphy suggested the Council should meet with representatives of Pavee Point, the travellers’ organisation on the issue as they have a responsibility as well.

Cllr Senan Griffin agreed vehicles and goods should be impounded where travellers have broken into property.

Cllr Mary Glennon referred to how Naas UDC had to pay £30,000 in legal fees over travellers incursions in Pairc na nOg and the Caragh Road Sports Centre. She said these travellers know their rights and have no regard for their responsibilities. She demanded to know why ‘proper action’ had not been taken to prevent the Caragh Road incursion following complaints to the Gardai when the first caravans had rolled onto the site.

Cllr Paul Kelly, who is a solicitor, said there are a number of areas where the law is inadequate to cope with the problem and provision should be made for the seizure of property as a first step. He wanted the balance tipped in favour of local authorities and said the Litter Act should also be enforced in these incursions. He said officials should have back-up in facing any intimidation. He said Kildare is no softer a touch than anywhere else as every local authority in the country has experienced the same problem.

Acting county manager Tommy Skehan said officials agreed with all that had been said. He estimated that the authority would spend £100,000 this year on legal costs in trying to have these travelling merchants moved on.

Naas UDC agrees waiver scheme

NAAS, 27 September 2000: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC has agreed a call for the introduction of a waiver scheme for refuse collections for certain categories of social welfare recipients. The motion was passed by 4-3 at last week’s UDC meeting with Cllr Charlie Byrne abstaining.

Cllr Pat McCarthy said he was aware of cases where people, such as old age pensioners living alone, are finding it difficult to come up with the £120 a year charge. He believed many suffered in silence in the believe nothing could be done to help. He said such waivers exist in Bray, which also has a private collection service. He was convinced it could be introduced in Naas.

The motion was seconded by Cllr Mary Glennon.

However officials said the UDC could not comply on legal grounds.

Town manager Tommy Skehan did not see any reason for a waiver scheme. He said the town clerk has treated any person seeking help in a sympathetic way and would continue to do so. Since the collection service was privatised only some 20-50 people had sought assistance.

Town clerk Declan Kirrane said such a waiver would ‘be the Council getting back in to the refuse collection service for a certain number of people and it would be a very expensive contract with 2-300 households all over the town’. He didn’t believe that that charge of £86 a year to be an imposition for most people.

However Cllr Seamie Moore said he believed the elderly of Naas are being overcharged for the amount of refuse they produce as against that of a family.

Cllr Willie Callaghan also had sympathy for those finding it hard to pay but thought they were ‘few and far between’. He said the contractors providing the refuse service had been very helpful in the past. “By bringing in a waiver system now that could open the floodgates to others.”

The idea that a smaller bin for two people living on their own was put forward by Cllr Eibhlin Bracken. “But it’s a free service in Dublin,” she reminded members.

While he sympathised with the motion Chairman Pat O’Reilly took the official line. He said he hated putting it to a vote and would prefer if it was withdrawn.

Cllr McCarthy stuck to his guns, however, saying he was not prepared to defer the motion a second time. The motion was passed 4-3 with Cllr Charlie Byrne abstaining
.

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Judges won't pay for parking

NAAS, 27 September 2000: by Brian Byrne. Judges on duty in Naas Court House will not have to pay the 50p an hour parking charges which will be imposed on ordinary motorists as soon as the Bye Laws are implemented. This was revealed by town clerk Declan Kirrane during discussion on the Bye-Laws at last week’s UDC meeting.

The matter followed a query from Cllr Charlie Byrne as to whether judges and barristers will be asked to pay to park at the Court House.

“Who is permitting them to park there. I think we should know,” Cllr Willie Callaghan demanded. He was told the decision was made by the Gardai and the court registrar.

Mr Kirrane said he has the names of the people whose vehicles should be parked outside the Court House and added that the traffic warden has instructions to deal with any situation.

Cllr Pat O’Reilly said: “Special provisions are made on court days”.

But Willie Callaghan countered: “We have no problems with a judge but for barristers ... that should not be allowed.”

The town clerk admitted there will be teething problems which will have ‘to be tweaked now and then’..

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Around and About the County...

NAAS: New assistant librarian in Naas Library, Gillian Allen, comes from Cork and replaces Caroline Collins who has left for Ennis. Gillian has worked in Cork and Dublin public libraries. She is 'absolutely delighted' with Naas library which she says is very spacious and still looks like a new building after ten years. She joins a staff which includes Joan O'Gorman, Marianne Hogan, Ursula McManus, Geraldine Cross and caretaker Andy Kelly.

MAYNOOTH: The exit from the Glenroyal Centre to the Straffan Raod is to be widened to allow for left and right turning lanes. Cllr John McGinley has also asked that cycle lane and pedestrian lane crossings be clearly marked on the road across the exit so that motorists will have no doubt that pedestrians have right of way.

CELBRIDGE: Kildare County Council is to build a new footpath from St Patrick's Park to the Boys School at Oldtown, Celbridge. Necessary drainage will also be installed during the course of the work.

KILL: Pictured after winning the county prize in the national Tidy Towns competition are committee members Nellie Creighton, Jo O'Donovan, Janet Carr, Veronica Bennett, Joan Kerr with Emma Champ (aged 3) and Brigid Jeffrey.

MAYNOOTH: Two tenders have been received for the provision of pedestrian-controlled traffic lights at St Raphael’s, Celbridge, on the Clane Road. It is expected work will begin on the installation of the lights inside the next fortnight.

DERRINTURN: The Office of Public Works is attempting to identify in Derrinturn a site for the Garda Station currently in Carbury, which is to be relocated. The minister for justice, John O’Donoghue TD, has told Deputy Sean Power that, when a suitable site is located, ‘there will be no undue delay’ in moving the gardai to Derrinturn.

NAAS: Market House in The Harbour, Naas, was withdrawn from auction at £468,000 and will now be sold by private treaty to one of a number of interested people with a new guide price of £580,000. Meanwhile The Paddock lounge and bar made £2.65m when auctioned last week. It previously made £2.76m in July 1999 when sold by then owner Sean English.

NAAS: Gleann Na Riogh Residents Association have just completed their estate internet web site. The association is hoping it will not alone act as an information point for its members, but will be interactive. Secretary Fergal O’Neill can be contacted at gleannnariogh@ireland.com, and submissions from the wider Naas community are also welcome.

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GAA agrees Oldtown move

NAAS, 26 September 2000: 8.30am by Brian Byrne. Naas GAA members have agreed a move to a site at Oldtown negotiated over the last four months with the help of a group of UDC councillors. The agreement last night was by a very substantial majority of about half the membership which attended an extraordinary general meeting of the club.

The proposals include the provision of 16.7 acres of Oldtown land, and a ‘programmed’ payment of £1.265 million in cash towards the building of a clubhouse and facilities on the new site. In exchange, the owners of the Oldtown property, Lehmex International Ltd, will take over the property at Fishery Lane currently being used by the GAA, which has been rezoned for commercial use.

The move to Oldtown was originally mooted as part of the negotiations by Lehmex in the formation of the 1999 Naas Development Plan, in which Lehmex was a major beneficiary of rezoning. However, there were subsequent difficulties and disagreements between Lehmex and the club over just what was on offer. The Facilitator Group was formed after the GAA appealed to the UDC to help them have promises made fulfilled.

A number of reservations were expressed by members at last night’s EGM, which was attended by Cllr Willie Callaghan, leader of the facilitator group. Cllrs Seamie Moore and Timmy Conway did not make appearances.

Afterwards, Cllr Callaghan said he was very pleased with the outcome. “After four months’ work, it was good to see it finished,” he said. “I’m glad that people were able to make their concerns felt and have them answered properly, instead of hearing wrong information in pub talk.”

Club chairman Ger Lanigan told KNN that they hoped to be on the site, once soil inspections and other work was completed, ‘by next spring’. “We expect to be using the facility within two seasons after that,” he said.

The facilities will include three pitches and a clubhouse, and some members expressed their worries that the £1.265 million would only be enough to do the infrastructural and services work. “We’ll end up in debt to build the clubhouse, and be back to square one again,” one told KNN. "Also, it was a very strange meeting in view of the fact that there were no engineer's report and proper plans of the facilities."

Ger Lanigan said it was ‘too soon to say’ what could be done with the money on offer, but that the club would be looking for grants ‘from anywhere they could’ to get what they wanted. "The first priority will be the pitches. After that, we'll see what we have left."

The project now requires the drawing up of a legal agreement, after which the money will be paid over to a special account from which the club can draw down under architects’ certs.

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Parc na nOg compound to be closed

NAAS, 26 September 2000: 8.30am by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC is to seek the immediate closure of the builder’s compound at Pairc na nOg which has been an eyesore for local residents. The council is to write to the builder stating that if he doesn’t pull out within seven days ‘we will go down and remove it ourselves’, UDC officials said last week.

“A commitment was given that it would be removed. That builder has been one of the most difficult builders we have had to deal with to try and get him to finish work. The local residents are extremely frustrated. All I can do is apologise to them,” town clerk Declan Kirrane told last week’s UDC meeting.

He revealed that the UDC will have to re-advertise for tenders to demolish the eight houses in Sarto Road, deemed beyond repair. Mr Kirrane explained a tender from the contractor, deemed excessive, had been rejected.

“There is no reason in my view why it should be there any more,” he said. He added that the architect dealing with the scheme had left Kildare County Council and has not been replaced. “But she had previously written to the builder asking him to remove it. He hasn’t done that.”

Cllr Mary Glennon, who had tabled a motion calling for urgent action to be taken on the compound, said it was ‘the best possible report I could have hoped for’.

Cllr Evelyn Bracken referred to the dumping of builders’ rubble between the Poolpluck Bridge and the compound (below), but was told: “That’s another matter entirely.”

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Consultants appointed for Celbridge upgrades

CELBRIDGE, 26 September 2000: by Brian Byrne. Consultants Ove Arup have been retained by Kildare County Council to design cycle lanes, footpaths and traffic calming measures for the Maynooth Road, Celbridge.

Upgrading of existing junctions regarding sightlines and safer access for motorists and pedestrians will also be included in the study.

The move follows a year-long campaign instigated by a submission from local residents associations. Deputy Emmet Stagg has urged that the study be completed as soon as possible, so that the improvements required can be put in place before the new access to the motorway is opened.

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Call for moratorium on residential rezoning

LEIXLIP, 26 September 2000: by Brian Byrne. A moratorium on residential rezoning should be imposed for the duration of the next development plan for Leixlip. That's a strong view expressed by the Leixlip Planning Alliance in a substantial submission to Kildare County Council on the next draft plan.

According to the alliance, the targeted population of 15,500 people by 2006 has already been exceeded with an estimated population of 15,900 now living in the North Kildare town.

"The 2006 targeted population projection is abstracted from the 1999 County Development Plan, which sets out an overall strategy for the development of the county," the authors of the submission write, "and to which all individual town development plans must conform if the overall county strategy is to be adhered to."

The LPA says a moratorium on residential rezoning during the period of the next plan would, at the very least, allow the infrastructure to catch up with developments which have already taken place.

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Taxi rank to remain 'for now'

NAAS, 26 September 2000: by Trish Whelan. The taxi rank in Market Square, Naas, is to remain in situ ‘for now’.

However it has been suggested that a better location would be opposite the Town Hall. Suggesting the move, Cllr Willie Callaghan said it was an ideal time to move the rank with new Parking Bye-Laws coming on stream.

He said taxis have to reverse into their designated spots outside the Presbyterian Church and this can disrupt traffic.

Cllr Callaghan said the new plans could include for four taxis across from the Town Hall with another four at Poplar Square. He also pointed out that the UDC has plans to pedestrianise that area of Market Square.

UDC officials said a move would only ‘muddy the waters’ at this stage. “The Town Plan envisages the taxi rank where the bus stop is situated at Market Square - some on the east and some on the west side.”

Town clerk Declan Kirrane said the establishment of a taxi rank is covered by separate regulations.

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Parking charges for Naas to come in at 50p per hour

NAAS, 25 September 2000: 8.30am by Trish Whelan. New Parking Bye-Laws proposed for Naas include a charge of 50p an hour for parking, through a Pay and Display system. The draft Parking Bye-Laws were approved at this month’s UDC meeting and, when some amendments are made, will go on public display.

The Bye-Laws are aimed at helping to deal with the currently chaotic parking situation in the town which, combined with difficulties of delivery by suppliers to businesses (above) are discouraging people from shopping in Naas.

Town clerk Declan Kirrane (right) took a lead from Carlow which he said is increasing its hourly parking rates to 50p an hour. He said enforcement of the Parking Bye-Laws ‘will be the key’ to their success and Pay and Display machines will ensure far greater compliance than discs.

The proposed Bye-Laws will probably be back on the table at the November meeting of the authority.

Explaining the proposals, town engineer Tom Cuddy said people won’t be able to park outside the door of some places, but there are few who won’t have parking available quite close by. “The number of car parking events in the town will be increased and the availability of road space for additional manoeuvres at key points will improve,” he said.

Cllr Anthony Egan (right) asked if off-street parking would be charged at a lower rate. He was told that was up to the councillors themselves. He then suggested free car parking on the outskirts of the town for those who park and travel to Dublin by bus. He felt 50p a hour would be ‘a lot for them to pay’. He suggested the council approach the Race Course for a ‘park and ride’ site.

Cllr Pat O’Reilly said off-street car parking will still be available in the short term and added that people should not be parking all day on the streets.

Cllr Mary Glennon said it was ‘historical’ to park on the street and this would remain the case until changes were introduced. She said the Council ‘had been skirting the problem for years’.

Cllr Pat McCarthy envisaged future problems in housing estates. He said all housing estates should have private car parking only for residents and commercial vehicles should not be allowed to park in estates. Cllr O’Reilly said people living in estates will be given permits to park.

It was revealed that Naas UDC had last year exceeded its estimated income for parking tickets by £15,000. “We took in £51,000,” officials said.

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GAA club to decide on latest Oldtown offer

NAAS, 25 September 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. An extraordinary general meeting of Naas GAA will tonight decide on the latest proposals for the moving of their club to a new location at Oldtown. Members and trustees will discuss the plans and financial implications of negotiations carried out with the help of a Facilitator Group of three UDC councillors - Willie Callaghan, Seamie Moore, and Timmy Conway.

The proposals include the provision of 16.5 acres of Oldtown land, and a ‘programmed’ payment of £1.65 million in cash towards the building of a clubhouse and facilities on the new site. In exchange, the owners of the Oldtown property, Lehmex International Ltd, will take over the property at Fishery Lane currently being used by the GAA, which has been rezoned for commercial use.

The move to Oldtown was originally mooted as part of the negotiations by Lehmex in the formation of the 1999 Naas Development Plan, in which Lehmex was a major beneficiary of rezoning. However, there were subsequent difficulties and disagreements between Lehmex and the club over just what was on offer. The Facilitator Group was formed after the GAA appealed to the UDC to help them have promises made fulfilled.

According to the GAA negotiating team, the property now on offer will provide room for four pitches, two of which will be designated for juvenile use. The total property is made up of two sections, the second of which is close to the canal and will be accessible by a walkway from the main grounds. The juvenile pitches will be located here. Entrance to the complex will be via the area where the current green gate on the Sallins Road is (left). The actual primary area will be approximately 100 metres from the Sallins Road.

KNN understands that this is all that will be on offer, and both sides consider the negotiations to be completed. The land concerned is zoned for Green Belt/Amenity use at present. The canalside parcel includes part of the development exclusion zone for the canal, but according to Facilitator Group leader Cllr Willie Callaghan this is permitted because the usage is ‘amenity’.

Up to 40 members of the GAA club visited the site on Saturday morning to see the proposed locations. Club chairman Ger Lanigan said there would be ‘no comments’ on the proposal to the media until after the Monday night meeting. He told KNN, however, that the land in question would require considerable levelling to be suitable for their purposes.

Meanwhile, another site in the same field is earmarked as a ‘playing pitch area for a new school’, which may be where St Patrick’s Community College will be relocated to if current discussions between the VEC and developers come to fruition. A field to the north of the proposed GAA site is currently the subject of a planning application for housing.

Pictured at the site on Saturday morning are Jerome Higgins, County Board delegate; Ger Lanigan, club chairman; John Clarke, club member; and Mick Enright, club trustee.

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Leixlip should get 'heritage status' says planning watchdog

LEIXLIP, 25 September 2000: by Brian Byrne. Leixlip should be given status as a heritage town both because of its strong Viking and Norman connections and because it has a strong relationship with the change of the course of the River Liffey 16,000 years ago.

This is just one element of a comprehensive submission to Kildare County Council by the Leixlip Planning Alliance on the preparation of a draft plan for Leixlip. The submission also highlights the strategic position of the town within the Liffey Valley, which is described as ‘one of the major natural amenities of the Greater Dublin Region’.

The LPA also discusses the Rye Valley and its importance in the area, the Green Belt Policy, and concerns related overpopulation, parking, streetscape, traffic and transportation, Garda service, travellers, water and sewerage works, and air pollution.

The alliance says it has for several years attempted to play a constructive role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in the area, safeguarding the outstanding natural amenities of the region, and trying to ensure that development is compatible with the welfare of future generations.

“We hope that the achievement of these objectives is also the aspiration and the responsibility of the County Council,” the organisation says.

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Ministers asked to provide Devoy for social housing

NAAS, 25 September 2000: by Brian Byrne. The ministers for the environment and defence have been asked to review their positions in relation to the use of Devoy Marracks in Naas for social housing purposes.

Deputy Emmet Stagg has tabled parliamentary questions on the matter for the respective ministers suggesting that acquiring such a landbank at no net cost to the Exchequer could ‘mark a new departure’ in the acquisition of land for local authorities.

“It we, as a state, are to provide homes for those who cannot afford to provide their own accommodation, then this is the type of action which this Government must start,” he said at the weekend. “Not only in Naas, but throughout the country, this Government must get directly involved in purchasing or otherwise acquiring appropriate lands to end the housing crisis.”

In his questions, Deputy Stagg has called on the minister for defence to make a statement on the current position in relation to the Devoy sale, and he has asked the minister for the environment to directly approach the minister for defence with a view to purchasing the former barracks.

Naas UDC has submitted a proposal to the minister for defence to purchase the site (below), which only attracted one submission when put up for tender earlier this year.

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Clane goes for 'Me and my Girl'

CLANE, 25 September 2000: by Trish Whelan. Clane Musical Society are putting on 'Me and my Girl' as their production for 2001. The show is best known for such songs as 'Leaning on a Lampost', 'The Lambeth Walk' and 'The Sun has got His hat on'.

The company's production of 'Sweet Charity' this year was a great success and to celebrate this and show what they have upcoming, they're putting on an Open Night next Wednesday (27th) at 8.30pm in The Abbey, Clane.

The production team is looking for new recruits for every part of the varied areas required when putting on a winning show. Further information from 087 241494.

Above: enjoying themselves at a recent Clane Musical Society event are Noel, Olga, Fran, Olive and Brendan.

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