Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has welcomed confirmation that agreement has now been reached on the opening of a Post Office in Blacklion at a new premises within one month. ‘This is very welcome news that will restore an essential service to our community in the near future. There has been a huge level of concern that this vital service would be lost but the agreement to open in a premises on the Belcoo Road will put an end to the uncertainty and allow the community access normal post office services into the future.’ Previously the Post Office had operated from the Shop and Filling Station which were the subject of criminal damage a number of weeks ago as a result of which the building was rendered structurally unstable. ‘I have had ongoing contact together with Brendan Smith TD with An Post at regional and national level to ensure that they were fully aware to the desire of the community to have the Post Office restored without delay. I have also worked closely with Dympna Stewert who, as a result of the agreement will continue to operate the Post Office into the future and the landlord, Noel & Bridie Keegan. A substantial amount of work was required and I am delighted that we have brought matters to this stage’ Work will commence on fitting the shop premises out in the coming days and every effort will be made to have the Post Office opened in the short-term but at the latest within a month. The Post Office previously had a National Lottery Franchise and it is hoped that in the coming months other services will be added to the Post Office.’ Councillor Feeley wished Dympna Stewert well in her endeavours and thanked her for her resilience and hard work in the face of the challenges she had as a result of the damage to the previous premises. ‘The local community have been very patient in the face of the disruption and inconvenience caused by the Post Office closure. I hope that they will now return to the service in Blacklion and I appeal to everyone in all communities to use their local post to the greatest extent possible to protect this vital service.’ There remains a shop and filling station lying derelict in Blacklion as a result of the recent damage and at least eleven people have been left unemployed as a result. Concluding Councillor Feeley expressed the hope that this situation would be resolved in the near future.
Category Archives: Press Releases
Eircom Broadband Plan another betrayal of County Cavan
Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has condemned the plans for the role-out of fibre broadband in County Cavan as another betrayal of the County. The pans confirm that there are no plans to enable broadband in Blacklion, Swanlinbar, Bawnboy and other villages in the County with no reference made to the rural areas in the County. ‘Broadband coverage is not an optional extra, it is as essential to every household as a road, a water supply or electricity. These plans confirm that there are no plans to serve the people of rural Ireland. The limited plans will only provide service to a small number of people in the immediate hinterland of the relevant villages. It is yet another betrayal of the people of this County and the rest of Rural Ireland.’ The coverage provides services to a limited number of about five thousand household in or about Cavan Town. Likewise a small number of people adjacent to each of the lucky villages will get some service. The quality of the service is also limited by distance from the enabled exchanges. ‘Eircom have set a very limited ambition to serve only 50% of the population and simply say that the Government knows the situation and are doing a mapping exercise. That is hardly the kind of response that the people of Ireland deserve and action must be taken to provide a proper broadband service to every household in the country.’ Ends
Feeley welcomes departure of convicted sex offender from Ballyconnell
Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has welcomed confirmation that convicted sex-offender, Trevor Byrne has been tracked by The Star to Ballyconnell after he left Dublin’s north inner city last week. ‘I was very concerned that this individual had come to live in Ballyconnell. Whilst he has served his sentence, it is very clear that he has a very serious criminal record and his arrival was greeted with dismay by the local community. Naturally, I am concerned that such a person would come to our area and at the incredible waste of limited Garda resources in that he was under constant surveillance by the Garda Siochana.’ Byrne, who attacked three women in the past 21 years, despite only being out of prison for less than 49 hours had been living in a B&B in Dublin’s north inner city following his release from the Midland’s Prison in Portlaoise. The serial criminal, of O’Devanny Gardens off the North Circular Road, has only spent mere hours out of prison in the last 20 years and gardai are fearful he may strike again. He was released after being convicted of an attempted burglary in Phibsboro, Dublin in September of 2009. In 2005, he was handed a prison sentence for attacking a Filipino nurse and threatening to slash her throat. When that attack occurred he had just completed a prison term for a heinous crime committed in the early nineties. In 1993, Byrne was handed a 15-year sentence for the rape of an 18-year-old girl. ‘The reality is that the problem has simply moved on to another community. Government must provide a framework for the protection of society from such convicts to monitor there movements and ensure they cannot continue what are the most disgusting criminal activities. Communities are entitled to know if such a person moves into their area also.’ Ends
Official Opening of Belturbet By-Pass brings project to welcome conclusion
Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has welcomed the official opening of the Belturbet By-Pass by the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport. Dr. Leo Varadkar, TD. Noting that the Contracts for the completion of the road were signed in 2011 following an allocation of funding secured under the then Minister Noel Dempsey. ‘It was a privilege to attend the signing of the Contracts for this project in the Seven Horse Shoes, Belturbet with the then Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith TD, who had worked so diligently to secure the funding for the project and now to see it completed.’ Noting that as in all projects issues arose with landowners during the project and these have now been resolved. It was very fortunate that the project got moving ahead before Minister Varadkar cancelled 45 projects in his first months in office. ‘There are implications for some businesses as a result of this new road but in the round it has given the town of Belturbet back to the local community, it has made it a much more attractive place to stop and use the facilities of the town and I hope that in years to come it will be seen that the opportunities to development of the town that this road has given. Furthermore a very dangerous section of national primary road has been replaced by an excellent piece of infrastructure.’ Concluding Councillor Feeley complemented the engineers and executive of Cavan County Council, the NRA and the contractors for the great work done on the Belturbet By-Pass.