Review of the Year – August

Houses planned for Ukrainian refugees

It was announced that 60 modular houses were to be fast tracked to accommodate Ukrainian refugees on the outskirts of Cavan Town.

The greenfield site in question, off Farnham Road, is located beside Drumnavanagh housing estate and opposite Farnham Court apartments on the western fringe of Cavan Town.

It was part of a wider project to house approximately 2,000 refugees in 500 modular homes nationwide, with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth and the Office of Public Works (OPW) the lead bodies.

Later in the year, the plans were revised to 30 properties, set to accommodate 100 refugees fleeing the war on Ukraine. It’s expected they will be delivered in the first quarter of 2023.

Residents to fight rent hike

Residents of apartments in a Cavan Town block expressed “shock” at a written notice their rents were set to increase, and vowed to fight the new owners on the hikes, which were over 50% in some cases.

It emerged the investment company concerned has used, as examples of the market rate, properties it already owns at other apartment complexes in the county town.

Residents at Hampton Court on the Cootehill Road were last month provided with a written ‘Notice of Rent Review’ - only to learn that comparative examples cited at Clare’s Court (43) and Farnham Court (8A and 30A) were owned by the same firm. Sinn Féin’s Pauline Tully has criticised the move and is backing the residents: “In my view, it’s morally wrong.”

If the increases are approved by the Residential Tenancies Board, Deputy Tully foresees a troubling situation whereby Cavan County Council could be inundated requests for emergency accommodation as people are “left with no other option” or face homelessness.

“It looks like greed to me,” stated the Cavan-Monaghan TD. “People on low incomes are already struggling, not just in Cavan but right across the country. Really, this is only adding fuel to the fire, and it’s a massive problem I fear is only going to be made worse.”

The companies concerned are all controlled by Mullingar-based Bennett Construction.

Average rent tops €1K a month

Later in the month, it was revealed that the average amount in euro in rent per month payable in County Cavan reached €1,012 in the second quarter of the year, according to a report from DAFT.ie

Kyte Powertech workers among first to picket for pay rises

The first of a series of strikes in the midst of a cost of living crisis began with workers at Kyte Powertech in Cavan Town. The plant is one of the county’s largest industrial employers but management and workers were embroiled in a pay dispute.

The workers’ strike action commenced in mid August, with a 24-hour strike, and an overtime ban. Staff were seeking a six per cent pay rise but the company said it could not sustain that.

The following month, SIPTU workers at Kyte voted in favour of a Labour Court recommended pay deal with company management bringing an end to the dispute.

Cavan abortion figures drop sharply

The number of abortions recorded in Cavan were decreasing; with just two GP surgeries in the county registered to provide early termination of pregnancy services.

Seventy women with Cavan addresses reported terminating their pregnancies in 2021, a report produced by the Department of Health states. This is down almost 35% on 2020 levels when 107 women from the county had terminations.

The 2021 figure is the lowest rate recorded in Cavan since abortion was made legal in Ireland in 2018.

New homes for Bailieborough

Plans to drastically increase Cavan’s social housing provision were announced by Cavan County Council. The local authority is planning 45 new homes, in a mix of types, for a site on the outskirts of Bailieborough. The development, earmarked for a site at Beckscourt on the Kingscourt Road, is a mix of apartments and houses.

Publicans closing their doors

The number of pubs in County Cavan has decreased by 17.2% since the height of the Celtic Tiger, according to industry figures.

In total, 38 bars in Cavan have closed between 2005 and 2021, including 11 closures over the pandemic period.

NUMBER OF THE MONTH

29

The number of medals claimed by Cavan competitors at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar

GOOD MONTH

• Cavan was shortlisted to host the prestigious GAA World Games next summer

• RAMOR United footballer Sean McEvoy flew to Baltimore to take up a four-year soccer scholarship at Loyola University.

• Crosserlough were celebrating having won the county senior championship beating Cavan Gaels

• It was confirmed Mickey Graham would remain as manager of the Cavan senior team for two more years

• Cavan was set to receive €4.3m under the new peace building funding

 BAD MONTH

• It was a sad month for the parish of Lavey as PJ Lee retired as the Celt’s Local News correspondent after 33 years of loyal service.

• Maurice Brady’s, one of Cavan’s most iconic clothing shops, was set to close its doors, after serving the community for 85 years

• It was a sad day as Cavan Lions Club announced it was to disband after 38 years