Leaving a legacy for the youth

As a former chairman of the Bailieborough Shamrocks GAA club, Cllr Paddy McDonald is invested in creating better facilities for the youth of the town.

He praised the clubhouse and walking facilities around the grounds, which are open for public use.

“It’s great to have it in the community because people can walk down there in a safe environment,” he said.

“We have 600 children coming in through our gates every week for different things,” he said, listing football, camogie and other activities.

The Bailieborough native welcomed the refurbishment of the courthouse in the town, with over one million in funding to finish the project.

He said people will be able to go in and hire desks, with additional outdoor seating being installed at the back of the facility.

“They’re making it more accessible for people to come and visit it,” he said.

He praised the council-supported painting scheme in the town, which he said has the town “really looking well”.

“All the little old houses are all different colours and it is amazing when you look at it,” he said.

He reiterated the importance of “leaving a legacy” for the youth of Bailieborough.

“There have been hard times in the past, but things are moving in the right direction,” he said, mentioning the importance of making the town attractive for new businesses.

Cllr McDonald acknowledged the problematic Kingscourt junction onto the town’s main street.

“It is a bottleneck,” he described.

A traffic management plan is currently “in operation” with engineers working on a solution.

“It’s being assessed at the minute,” he assured.

Cllr McDonald urged people to continue using the facilities in the town and supporting the local economy.