REVIEW OF THE YEAR - NOVEMBER
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Eoin McGovern with his two children, nine-month-old Fleur and twenty-month-old Mateo. The family were being told to remove the caravan they called home from Eoin’s mother’s property as they did not have planning permission for it.Image 2 of 5
Mullahoran captain Sheila Reilly with the cup after Mullahoran Ladies claimed the Ulster Intermediate Title. Photo: Adrian DonohoeImage 3 of 5
Politicians on the fence at the busy Lavey Inn Junction on the N3. PHOTO: Sean McMahonImage 4 of 5
LEFT: Paul Brady celebrates winning his sixth World Handball Championships Men’s Open Singles title at Croke Park. Photo: Stephen Marken/SportsfileImage 5 of 5
Celebrating 10 Years of the Cootehill Park Run with race directors and helpers. Seated: Ozzie O’Reilly, David McCarney and Mary McMullen; middle row, Michelle McCluskey, Sandra McCaul, Clare McCaul, Laura Nulty and David Cosgrove; back, Fiona Lynch, Colm McCormick, Colm Grogan and Mark McCormick.PHOTO: ALEX COLEMAN€19M for regional sports complex
Plans for a major new sports campus took a “significant step forward” with the securing of €19M in government funds. The money will deliver the first phase of the ambitious, multi-sport facility next to Kingspan Breffni.
In the same month, An Bord Pleanála also granted planning permission for the development clearing the way for work to finally begin.
Cavan was one of 35 projects nationwide to benefit from major government funding, in excess of €173M, under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund 2024. It was one of the last acts of the Government ahead of the General Election.
Cavan County Council, the lead partner in the project, welcomed the major allocation.
“This is a significant step forward for the project, which has been developed in conjunction with Royal School, Cavan and Cavan GAA. Today’s announcement is a welcome endorsement of the ambitious, long-term plan to develop a Regional Sports Hub in Cavan,” said a senior council spokesperson.
Election Fever grips county
The General Election campaign was in full swing with each of the three main parties adopting a three-candidate strategy following the shock decision by Minister Heather Humphreys not to contest the election for Fine Gael. Her departure from the race saw a record number contest the election in the Cavan Monaghan Constituency – 20 candidates in all.
Polls opened on Friday, November 29, and the count started in Cavan on Saturday, November 30. The count, the longest in the country, didn’t conclude until the following Monday night, December 2.
Housing in the spotlight
A YOUNG family in the Ballyhaise area were standing their ground and refusing to move the caravan they now call home. Eoin McGovern, his partner Maria and their two children, said they have nowhere else to go.
Their story came into the spotlight nationally with Eoin even appearing in the audience of Upfront with Katie Hannon on RTÉ last Monday night as part of a housing debate in the General Election.
It emerged the family did not have planning permission for the temporary structure and were unaware they needed it. They were calling for a special exemption to give them time to save enough money for a deposit for a mortgage. They did not qualify for Social Housing Supports.
Pylons still a live issue
Pylon protestors took the opportunity to host a pre-election rally in Kells but were left disappointed that few Cavan candidates attended.
Padraig O’Reilly, North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC), spoke to a packed room of about 250 people at a public meeting in the Headford Arms Hotel in Kells.
The purpose of the rally was to highlight that the group will not accept Eirgrid’s plan to overground pylons across Cavan, Monaghan and Meath.
Mr O’Reilly told those gathered that promises were made and broken over the last 17 years but the group will continue in its fight to have the project undergrounded.
Eirgrid has cleared all planning hurdles to develop the North South Interconnector.
However, Mr O’Reilly warned: “Either this project goes underground or it’s bust for Eirgrid.
“The Government has washed its hands of this.
“Promises have been made, none of them have been kept; and communities have been let down.”
NUMBER OF THE MONTH
375
Four days of events took place to commemorate the 375th anniversary of the death of Eoghan Rua O’Neill including reenactments, history talks and a guided tour of Clogh Oughter
“We, the people... can influence change and sometimes we don’t fully appreciate how powerful our voices are. It’s about going beyond the ballot box, it’s at a local level and it’s not every four or five years, it’s every day of the week. - Ruairí McKiernan on active citizenship
GOOD MONTH
* Local director Alan Bradley won the Radharc Award for his ground-breaking documentary ‘Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost’
* Killeshandra Social Services were celebrating 50 years in the community
* Cavan Town took the county title in the National Tidy Towns Competition for the 15th consecutive year
* The local Education and Training Board (CMETB) got the green light to proceed to the next phase of its development of a €40 million College of The Future
BAD MONTH
* As the Spanish city of Valencia was hit by catastrophic flooding, Bawnboy native Leigha Plunkett (22) was among the volunteers to assist with the clean up.
* Arva was mourning the death of their much-loved parish priest, Fr Donald Hannon
* Alison Fisher (21) was diagnosed with a brain tumour but the community in Bailieboro rallied around to raise funds for treatment
* Anger and disappointment was expressed over illegal dumping on the not-so-scenic Cavan Way from Dowra to Blacklion