Local Notes: Ferrybank road closure, Fraughan Sunday, Peadar's Summer Camp and more
Lidl Ireland recognised Kilkenny’s Slieverue GAA Club with the ‘Best Overall Programme Engagement’ award as part of its Lidl One Good Club mental health programme. Pictured outside Lidl on Tramore Road, Co. Waterford is Lidl Deputy Store Manager Elizabeth McEvoy with Pam and Zoe Cantwell, Marie and Rosie Jensen, Ciara Atkins and Vera Dolanfrom, Slieverue GAA Club. Photo: Jim O’Sullivan
The Abbey Road closure, now in place for over a week, will cause problems for all road users for the next six weeks until August 16. Heavy goods lorries and buses are the most affected by the change, although residents must add 10 minutes to their journey each way. The school holidays have helped, so hopefully, by the time schools reopen, the works will be completed.
It is worth noting that during the construction work on Abbey Road, access to Power's Funeral Directors, Power's Funeral Home, and St. Joseph’s Home (Little Sisters) is unaffected. Vehicles can still drive over the Abbey Road turnoff at the traffic lights. Despite the inconvenience, efforts are being made to ensure minimal disruption, especially to critical services and local businesses.
Local Councillor Ger Frisby (Slieverue) believes communication around the Abbey Road closure in Ferrybank could have been better. He stressed that residents' views should be considered in such works, particularly regarding traffic light placement. Frisby suggested a leaflet drop to inform businesses and residents of the closure. He told KCLR News that the information delivery could have been better, advocating for a more coordinated effort from all councils involved and better notification for residents. Frisby hopes that lessons will be learned for future projects, emphasizing the need for more consultation going forward.
Best of luck to Gary Walsh and his team at Studio-One who recently took over the Majicafit premises in the Ross Abbey Retail Park and rebranded the gym as “Bank Fitness”. Marta and Alex, who set up the Majicafit, are due to leave for Australia, after opening their gym in 2022. Gary, with all his experience with Waterford Warriors, hopes to continue the growth and standards set out by Marta. It is hoped to have a grand opening soon, with an update of events that will be happening. Watch this space.
The annual pilgrimage to Tory Hill will be held on Sunday afternoon, July 14. For thousands of years, people have celebrated Fraughan Sunday, gathering on the second Sunday in July. Each year, new participants join this time-honoured tradition, many visiting Tory Hill for the first time. Attendees often reminisce about previous visits or childhood memories of climbing the hill, which, just shy of mountain status, holds a special place in their hearts.
This year, as always, families and individuals of all ages will arrive to walk the path to the summit. Despite the addition of a roadway for forestry and vehicular use, many prefer the spiral path around Tory Hill, enjoying conversation and company along the way. The route offers fantastic views of notable landmarks such as the new motorway, the Thomas Francis Meagher bridge, the Metal Man, the Tramore church spire, Loftus Hall, the Saltee Islands off Kilmore Quay, the Ramsgrange church, Mount Leinster, and Slieve Coillte.
Ireland's oldest summer camp is back again commencing on Monday, July 15. The popular summer camp will see over 200 boys and girls aged between 6-13 years coming down to the GAA grounds to learn the skills of our national game. Applications forms can be obtained from the Spar Shop in Ferrybank, Coffee by King, or from any committee member.
The annual fundraising event for Peadar’s Summer Camp will take place in Briar Rose on July 12. Your support in buying tickets for this event and attending allows us to keep the cost of the camp down. Our camp is probably the cheapest in the country for a full week of activities and this is down to you supporting these events and to all our other sponsors. Once again, many thanks to our main sponsors Keltech for their continued support, for which we are truly grateful.
The online portal is now open for applications for the Affordable Homes at Abbey Meadows, Ferrybank, next to Ross Abbey Retail Park (Mr. Price/Tesco Express). Under the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, 14 homes will be available for purchase at prices below market value. This initiative is supported by the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and associated Affordable Housing Regulations. These homes are primarily intended for first-time buyers who do not currently own or have a legal interest in a dwelling, with a few exceptions. The 14 houses consist of one four-bed detached (minimum purchase €284k), four four-bed semi-detached (€274k); six three-bed end of terrace (€250k) and three three-bed mid-terrace (€240k). Houses will become available in Quarter 1 of 2024
Cllr Ger Frisby was elected Cathaoirleach and Cllr Jenny Catt Slattery as Leas-Cathaoirleach for the year ahead in Piltown District (which includes Ferrybank) at a recent meeting. It will be Ger Frisby's second year in a row. He was nominated by Cllr Pat Dunphy (Fine Gael) and his nomination was seconded by Cllr Jenny Catt Slattery. The monthly meetings are scheduled to take place at 2pm on the first Wednesday of each month in Ferrybank Library, in the Ferrybank Shopping Centre. Ger lived for a time in Silverwood, Rockshire Road, with his wife Maureen, daughter Kate and sons Jack and Mícheál, before settling into his family home in Slieverue. He served his time as Chairman of Slieverue GAA for 15 years.
