Artwork donated to Huntstown Church

A line in the sand
Dublin 15 rezoning proposals defeated
by P. Lanner

It seems ironic that at a time when that arch re-zoner and former Cathaoirleach of Dublin County Council, Ray Burke, was found guilty
of tax evasion on his ill-gotten gains and subsequently sent to jail, members of Fingal County Council finally turned the corner and called a halt to the rezoning frenzy that has plagued the county for decades.

As he lied about his receipt of brides from property developers, Ray Burke will be forever be remembered for his statement that "a line has been drawn in the sand". Last month saw a different line being drawn in the sands of Dublin 15 when councillors thwarted the efforts of builders and developers to cover yet more of the area in high rise speculative developments and acres of concrete.

"It was like the old days in the public gallery" said one Dublin 15 resident who has been a long-time attendee of Development Plan meetings. "There were lots of well dressed builders and developers sitting there and slipping in and out to 'advise' councillors on how they should vote. Some things never change," she said.

This time however they did change. After last year's local elections there has been a perceptible shift of power on the County Council with a number of former "pro development" councillors no longer part of the decision making process. With 12 of the 24 seats held by a combination of Labour (6), Green (3), Socialist (2) and Sinn Féin (1) councillors the balance of power has shifted away from the FF/FG rezoning coalition of previous years. With as well as one or two Fine Gael councillors also opposing much of the rezoning efforts, this year's Development Plan meetings were very different from those of yore.

Last month's front page story in Community Voice attracted one of the biggest ever responses since the paper was established in February 2000. People were genuinely horrified at the scale of some of the rezonings being proposed for the area and the potential effect it could have on local communities.

In the event all of the most contentious planning proposals were defeated. One such proposal was the proposal to rezone lands at Kellystown. In its submission to councillors, the Dublin 15 Community Council argued that this proposal was "an attack on the very important green belt between Blanchardstown and Liffey Valley." They claimed that there was no capacity on rail service to service additional zoned lands while conversely their proximity to the rail line would mean very high density.

The proposal to rezone these lands was vehemently argued by the Council's Director of Planning, David O'Connor who insisted that the development, which would have resulted in up to 1,100 new houses on the site, would be contingent on the upgrading of the rail service and the construction of a new railway station. He also assured councillors that there would be no high rise development allowed on the site and that any development would be limited to two and three storey units with a small number of four storey blocks.

However these assurances were rejected by councillors who pointed out that the developers, Castlethorn who had an interest in the land had already applied for eight storey apartment blocks nearby. "Once we rezone these lands we will have no control over the density," claimed Cllr. Ruth Coppinger. "Any decision made by Council officials can be over-ruled by an Bórd Pleanála," she said.

As part of the proposal, some of the lands were to be made available for football pitches and a community facility as well as providing land for a new road and bridge over the canal and railway line. When the proposal was put forward last May, it was narrowly defeated by 11 votes to 10. This time around the decision was much more clear cut with 15 councillors voting against and 7 in favour. Of the eight local councillors, five - Cllrs Coppinger (SP), Varadkar (FG), Hamill (Lab), O'Donovan (Lab) and Gallagher (SF) voted against while two, Cllrs. Murray (PD) and Richardson (FF), supported the rezoning. Fianna Fáil's Cllr. Brenda Clifford abstained.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr. Michael O'Donovan said he "expected it to be beaten, but the margin surprised me, particularly as the County Manager and the professional planners were so solidly behind it." According to the councillor, "Kellystown became the focus of all the resentment being felt about the fact that Dublin 15 has grown so quickly without a corresponding improvement in transport infrastructure. The statement made in the chamber that the developers had not come through on their open space requirements for previous developments, also swung the vote."

The other major rezoning proposed for the area, a 100 acre site in Barnhill, was also rejected by councillors, this time by the much narrower margin of 12 votes to 11. Once again the same local councillors - Cllrs. Coppinger, Varadkar, Hamill, O'Donovan and Gallagher voted against this motion while Cllrs. Murray, Clifford and Richardson supported the rezoning.

The controversial proposal to rezone lands on the Navan Road for shops and offices, proposed by Malahide Fianna Fáil Councillor Darragh O'Brien and local PD councillor Mags Murray, were postponed pending a study of land use between the N3 and Dunsink which will be completed later this year.

Proposals for developments in Ballycoolin put forward by Cllr. Margaret Richardson were defeated, while another major rezoning for 140 acres in Tyrellstown was withdrawn by its proposers, Cllrs Clifford (FF) and Murray (PD) when it became clear that it would be defeated by the other councillors.

Kieran O'Neill, Chairperson of Dublin 15 Community Council was delighted with he out-turn of the meetings. "This was a victory for the community," he said. "For years we have been told by councillors that 'one more rezoning will sort out our problems' but it never does - it only makes things worse."

According to Kieran, "most of our local councillors now realise that you can't rezone land years before the infrastructure goes in. It is great that five of them agreed with this approach and are supporting the Community Council line of infrastructure before development."

President launches local Drug Project

The old parish hall at Parslickstown House was full to capacity when President Mary McAleese visited Mulhuddart recently to officially launch the Mulhuddart/Corduff Community Drug Team (CDT).

The presidential visit started with a tour of the new facilities in Parslickstown House. President McAleese was shown offices, training areas and therapy rooms by Marie McKay Co-Ordinator and Ann Losty Chairperson of the CDT. Following a private meeting with some of the service users and their families, the President then presided over the official launch of the project.

Speaking at the launch, Chairperson, Ann Losty refereed to the theme of President McAleese's second term in the presidency - 'building bridges'. "This is what we aim to do in the Community Drugs Team also," she said. "We aim to build bridges between the communities of Mulhuddart and Corduff and between the community and the voluntary and statutory services so that no drug user falls through the net."

Picking up this point, President McAleese emphasised that "it is most important that there is someone watching out for the gaps to stop people falling through and the support and motivation given by projects like the CDT is of enormous help."

Referring to the problems facing drug users as they grow older, she said "life for a drug addict is very different when you are 29 than when you are 19. You have seen friends dying and children unhappy because of their parent's situation. There is a lot of loss and a lot of waste. When a decision to change your lifestyle is made it is very important that places like the CDT are there to help."

According to the President "drug abuse affects not just the user but also whole families and indeed the community. But ultimately the whole country suffers the consequences of drug addiction."

"Drug addiction affects us all," she told her audience. "It messes us up and not everyone wants to clean up that mess. So a big thank you to all those involved in running this project."

The president reserved her biggest praise however for those who have successfully used the service.
"The biggest thank you of all is for those who come here and make the effort and successfully leave. Your efforts energise us to do more," she said.

Jason, a former drug addict from Corduff, who presented President McAleese with a crystal rose bowl to mark the launch of the project, also spoke at the launch on behalf of other service users: "I have seen what drugs have done to people and their families. Thanks to the support I got from the Mulhuddart/Corduff Community Drug Team, I made the decision to give up drugs and they organised a detox programme for me. I've been drug-free for nearly a year now," he said.

The Mulhuddart/Corduff Community Drug Team offers a wide range of confidential supports and services to drug users and their families. The Team is based in Parslickstown House (tel. 8216601 or e-mail mccdt@eircom.net)

Call for speed limit review

Following the recent controversy about speed limits in the vicinity of schools in some parts of Ireland since the recent changeover to metric limits, local PD Senator Tom Morrissey has called on Fingal County Council to review speed limits outside every school in the Dublin 15 area.

Senator Tom Morrissey who is the PD Transport Spokesperson said that "instead of just making a straight conversion from mph to kph, officials from Fingal County Council should now examine the particular conditions outside each school with a view to lowering them if it would improve road safety and slow down motorists."

Senator Morrissey has also called on the Council to "look again at the speed limit on some of the major routes in Dublin West."

For some time now the Senator has been calling for an increase in the speed limit on the Navan Road from Ashtown to the M50 and on the Blanchardstown by-pass. According to Senator Morrissey, the Department of Transport advised Fingal County Council to revise these limits upwards as they are currently set too low. "The changeover to metric offered the perfect opportunity. However, this was not done, and I firmly believe it is something that the Council should now re-examine," he said.

Huge extension to Ballycoolin Reservoir

Fingal County Council has recently entered into a Contract with Galway company Coffey Construction Ltd, for the construction of a major treated water storage facility at the Ballycoolin reservoir in Dublin 15.

The contract, valued at over €23 million is for the construction of a massive 100,000m3 Reservoir, a 5,000m3 water tower at the site. The plans also include administration, workshop and storage buildings as well as additional water reception and distribution facilities at Ballycoolin.

The new reservoir and water tower will almost double the present volume of treated water that can be stored at Ballycoolin and will enable the Council to provide a high level of water supply security to the greater part of the County of Fingal. The reservoir also supplies the North Dublin city area together with parts of County Meath. According to a spokesperson for the Council, when it is completed the new work will significantly reduce the risk of water supply interruptions to consumers.

"This essential element of water supply infrastructure will support both the rapid population growth and the high level of economic development currently being experienced in this part of the Greater Dublin Region," said the spokesperson.

Study recommends opening rail line from Clonsilla to Navan

The establishment of a rail link from Dublin to Navan would see a return on the investment within 10 years, according to a recently completed study.

Brian Guckian an independent transport researcher has presented a report to the Minister for Transport which indicates it is possible to carry out the rail project in parallel with an upgrade of the existing N3, with bypasses at Navan, Kells and Dunshaughlin and associated public transport improvements.

This new report further strengthens the case being made by Iarnród Éireann in their new feasibility study into reopening of the rail line.

It is understood that the study will recommend the construction of a rail link from Clonsilla to the Pace junction near Dunboyne. The study was carried out on behalf of Fingal and Meath county councils, Iarnród Éireann and the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO).

The study which recommends the opening of the line to Pace has estimated the cost of the project at €70 million. However, this figure does not include land acquisition costs.

In his report, Mr Guckian says "there is a common perception that railways cost the earth and aren't viable, and that this has been the attitude taken towards the Navan line over the years."

Mr Guckian, who says he wants to inject new thinking into the transport area, with particular reference on economics says that "the improvements would include road-rail interchanges, greatly enhanced bus and minibus services and greater access for cyclists and pedestrians."

He estimates that it would cost €300 million to put the full rail-line to Navan in place, as well as €300 million to upgrade the existing N3. This compares to an estimated cost of €800 million to construct the M3 motorway.

Mr Guckian said he has worked on the proposal along with a colleague from the UK who is familiar with the rail system there and the researchers looked at nine different lines around the city in a project called 'NEXT' - standing for Intercity Network Extensions. The Dublin-Navan line is one of these and the criterion was that they would all be paid for within 10 years.

Starting at Clonsilla, the plan incorporates the former Clonsilla-Navan line, as well as a deviation to serve Ashbourne, Ratoath and Dunshaughlin, reflecting changes in settlement patterns since the original line was built. The route would be double-track throughout, and would handle freight as well as passenger traffic.

According to the report, the line would return an estimated minimum of €36 million to the region annually in terms of reduced traffic congestion and pollution, reduction in lorry movements and new opportunities for sustainable growth. There would also be a huge return from the carriage of freight.

Ongar School Still on Track
by Peter Goulding

Castaheany Educate Together School, currently operating out of Griffeen Valley in Lucan, must return to the Castaheany / Ongar area by September 2006, according to Aideen Maher, Chairperson of the school's Board of Management. Her statement comes in the wake of the news that further delays in the building of the school are expected due to an appeal by a local resident to An Bórd Pleanála.

Currently, the OPW (on behalf of the Department of Education and Science) are in active negotiation with a developer to purchase a permanent site for the school in the Castaheany / Ongar area. Fingal County Council has already granted permission for the establishment of a school in the area, consisting of a three classroom temporary school including a car park, administrative buildings and a playground.

A local resident has now appealed this granting of permission to An Bórd Pleanála. It is understood that this is the same resident who objected to the original planning application by the school.

There have been fears that this appeal could cause delays of up to eighteen weeks in the establishment of the school, although Aideen Maher is optimistic that this will not be the case. "The Board of Management of the school, via our architect, has responded to this appeal to An Bórd Pleanála," she says. "We would be hoping for a swift decision by the Board so that we can proceed with our plans for the school."

These plans for the school reflect the very rapid surge of interest in the whole Educate Together phenomenon. "An additional planning application will also be immediately lodged in order to facilitate the huge growth of the school pre-enrolment for 2005 and the resultant additional classrooms that we will need for next September. We already have more than 80 new junior infants, and 30 children for other classes, waiting to start next year."

Currently 53 pupils suitably supervised by teachers and parents are being bussed to and from Lucan every day. This situation, admits Aideen, will probably continue for the remainder of the school year, but is obviously untenable for longer than that.

"As soon as we have further information in relation to the site we plan to hold a public information evening, which will be locally advertised," she says. "In the meantime, we are continuing to take new pre-enrolments for 2005, and up to 2009" Any pre-enrolment enquiries can be directed to Linda Kavanagh-Ozmen (086) 8714258.

Diary of a Tornado
by Peter Goulding

As Bono informed us over twenty years ago, "all was quiet on New Years Day."

Most residents of Hansfield and Castaheany were not doing anything strenuous as one o'clock approached. The celebrations of the night before meant that many people were still in their pyjamas, not long out of bed. The wind had picked up somewhat, but there was no indication that the New Year was about to come in with a bang for fifty households in these two estates.

At around 12.57, the tornado struck. Many people later commented that the sky suddenly went very dark, and remarked on seeing a single large flash of lightning. Then, as one Castaheany householder put it, "a rumble of thunder that just seemed to go on and on."

Was it a tornado? Tom Sheridan of Met Éireann remarked that he was unaware that anyone had reported seeing the funnel-shaped cloud that signifies a true tornado, although he added that "the very localised nature of the damage would certainly be consistent with a tornado, whose influence would often be over an area of diameter of only a few tens of metres."

What is certain is that a very active cold front, sweeping across the country from the west, gave rise to strong gusty downdraughts, which are always particularly strong when thunderstorms proceed in a line. This line stretched from Belfast to Co. Waterford, but the worst of the storm appeared to hit a few dozen houses on either side of the Manorfields Road, although damage was reported in Hunters Run and Hazelbury.

The occupants of these houses spoke of the sheer terror of the situation, which lasted between one and three minutes, according to people's recollections. Houses shook as though in an earthquake, and slates could be heard smashing to the ground below. House and car windows smashed violently as slates crashed through them. "It was like a bomb went off," said one eye-witness, "We really feared for our lives." Trees were uprooted and garden sheds were overturned. Garden fences were reduced to flying firewood in a matter of seconds.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, the storm abated, and there was a moment's eerie silence before people began to gingerly open their front doors and peer nervously around. The scene of devastation that met their eyes caused many to clutch their children to them.

The roads were covered in broken slates and slats of wood. Cars were dented, their windows smashed. Slates lay embedded in front lawns like miniature megalithic tombs. The tarpaulined roof of a shed lay against a front door in Castaheany, ripped mercilessly from a garden in Hansfield. A tree on the edge of Castaheany had been snapped in two and carried twenty yards to demolish a garden wall. Sitting room windows bore the mark of whirling debris, and a van had been turned on its side at the entrance to Hansfield. Many roofs in the area were without most of their slates and few remained unscathed. Some people started the job of tidying up immediately; others seemed too numb to appreciate what had happened.

By two o'clock, RTE had mentioned the event on its hourly news bulletin and, coupled to word of mouth, steady streams of people came from the area and further afield to view the destruction for themselves. The Fire Service arrived and cordoned off two large trees on the Castaheany side of the road. Alison Doody and a film crew from RTE started filming the scenes of the worst-hit areas. The first people started venturing up onto roofs to inspect the damage and throw down broken slates. People seemed keen to talk to spectators about their experience, suddenly realising that had been at the epicentre of a severe weather event that would be reported in the UK,
Netherlands and Hungary the following day.

By three o'clock a traffic jam had formed along the main distributor road leading to the two estates, as swarms of people descended on the small area worst affected, just as they had when the Littlepace floods had occurred fourteen months previously. As one person remarked, "There's nothing like a natural disaster to bring out the community." Centre of attention seemed to be the overturned van in Hansfield, and many remarked that it was a miracle nobody had been killed in the deadly hail of slates, a theme repeated next day by President Mary McAleese in a message to the Huntstown clergy. People began sweeping the debris into piles, and neighbours went from door to door with offers of help. Many remarked on the fact that on one side of the street, a house could be rendered virtually slateless, while the house across the road escaped unscathed.

By four o'clock, the Gardaí had closed the road to Manorfields, and were advising people to stay clear of the area as further high winds were expected. Dusk was falling and Alison Doody recorded another bulletin with the lights of the fire engine flashing behind her. With the failing light, the lack of electricity and therefore light and heat began to be felt by residents who by now had done what they could to clean up the worst of the mess.

The response from insurance companies was varied. Some were uncontactable. Others were helpful and put householders in touch with tradesmen who could effect emergency repairs. Others blithely informed worried homeowners not to undertake any repairs until someone could get out to assess the damage in three days' time. Which, as one resident put it, "was precious little good to us with our attic open to the elements."

As evening came, many residents left to stay with relatives or friends. Others were forced to sleep together in one bedroom, as many upstairs rooms were uninhabitable. There was still no electricity and wouldn't be until well into the following day. Extra jumpers and blankets were the order of the day as candles flickered forlornly in the darkness.

Thus ended a day none of them would ever forget.

Tsunami Fundraising on Phoenix FM

 Phoenix FM's weekly faith-based radio programme Interfaith Round Table has become the focal point for a unique fund raising effort aimed at helping the children affected by the Tsunami in South East Asia and Africa.

The show's host, Sheikh Dr. Shaheed Satardien, has registered a charity in the name of The Tsunami Children's Fund, the goal of which is to help the many thousands of children affected by the Tsunami. Dr. Satardien said there was a need for such a charity, specifically looking after the needs of children in the many affected countries and -more importantly- a charity with an eye on the long term. "The Tsunami Children's Fund will become a registered charity and it will stay there because it is a long term thing," he said.

The fund will continue to collect money and funnel it to appropriate aid agencies, with a specific focus on projects to help children. Fund-raising efforts through the Interfaith Round Table began through the participants on the show. Each week Dr. Satardien invites representatives of the many different religions in Ireland to debate pressing issues and how they are viewed in the context of different faith and value systems. Following the disaster in South East Asia and Africa participants on the show were debating the responses of the different faiths to the disaster.

Dr. Satardien said a number of issues emerged from a series of debates on the issue and among them was the political dimension to the aid being pledged to assist the affected countries. "It was like the governments were competing with each other to see who could give the most. Politics is governing this disaster and the children once again are the casualties" Dr. Satardien said.

In the case of previous large scale natural disasters in the developing world, pledges of state aid have not always been followed through, said Dr. Satardien. Referring to the earthquake in Bangalore three years ago in which upwards of 30,000 people died he said that "$1.6bn was pledged and not even one third of this was given".

In that context the participants in the Interfaith Round Table have been raising money themselves in recent weeks, to help to ease the burden in the affected regions in any way possible. Dr. Satardien said the fund raising will be unique in a number of ways. Firstly, the Tsunami Children's Fund plans to give aid to every country affected rather than focussing on specific regions. "Everybody was focussing on Asia and countries such as Somalia and Tanzania were only mentioned by the by," said Dr. Satardien.

He said he was concerned that much of the media coverage of the disaster had focussed on regions where European tourists were likely to have being holidaying. As a consequence fund-raising efforts have largely focussed on these regions, he said, leaving some affected countries, relatively speaking, in the cold.

"We will try to focus on specific projects for children," Dr. Satardien said. That will include raising money for projects such as school-building, education and sport initiatives and playgrounds.

Dr. Satardien said he hoped listeners to the Interfaith Round Table and other concerned people would continue to give generously after the headlines have faded and the Tsunami starts to be forgotten by other sections of the media.

"If there's a need for the Tsunami Children's fund to remain in existence then we will remain in existence," he said.

The proceeds of the Interfaith Roundtable fundraising were handed over to a representative of the Indian ambassador at a unique Prayer Service in St. Brigid's Community Centre recently. The ceremony was attended by members of many faiths and clergy from seven churches offered prayers at the event. The churches represented at the event were the catholic Church, Church of Ireland, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Bahaism and the Four Square Gospel Ministry.

The Interfaith Round Table is broadcast on Phoenix FM (92.5FM) on Wednesdays at 8.00 p.m.

Row over new Gardaí

Local residents in recent weeks have commented on the high visibility of local gardaí in the area. Regular two person foot patrols are now a common site following the allocation of 25 new gardaí to Blanchardstown Garda station.

The deployment of the new gardaí, who have only recently graduated, has lead to a war of words between the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) and garda management.

According to the AGSI, these new gardaí have been put on the beat in "the most dangerous parts of Dublin" without proper supervision. The association claims that no additional sergeants have been allocated to supervise them, leaving overstretched sergeants to try and look after them.

According to the AGSI spokesperson the association "is deeply concerned about the supervision levels in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) west division and the availability of sergeants to supervise both regular shifts and this flexi tour shifts together."

Prior to arrival of the additional gardaí, Blanchardstown Station was supposed to have eight sergeants but only had seven. However according to the AGSI this position was further weakened due to the fact that two of these sergeants were filling vacant sergeant positions in Cabra Garda station.

The Association also claims that another sergeant from Blanchardstown is involved with specialist duties and another acts as station sergeant. The AGSI spokesperson estimates that for 95% of the time most garda units are without a section sergeant.

Refusing to be drawn into the controversy, a garda spokesman said "there was a Garda Forum in Blanchardstown which the AGSI could use to raise its concerns with local management."

Meanwhile for the local residents of Dublin 15, the presence of the additional gardaí on the streets has been widely welcomed.

What's in a name
by Peter Goulding

One of the results of the bourgeoning number of developments in the Dublin 15 area has been the constant arguments over postal addresses, as defined by An Post.

In a sad reflection of the times we live in, many people feel subconsciously discriminated against by their address, and the lobbying to be included in more 'prestigious' areas is an ever-increasing phenomenon. Although the main criteria of determining postal addresses is supposed to be geographical, nowadays it largely depends on the lobbying power of the developers.

In Dublin 15, the building of new estates has always been about location, location, location. Castleknock has traditionally been viewed as a most desirable address, conjuring up as it does images of Georgian houses in affluent tranquility. Some years ago residents of the Kirkpatrick and Rockfield estates (in Coolmine) passed a motion that their estate was actually in Castleknock, despite what many viewed as incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. Areas such as Carpenterstown and Luttrellstown also insist on adding Castleknock to their address.

As Fine Gael councillor and Leas-Cathaoirleach of Fingal County Council, Leo Varadkar, says, "With almost every new development, Castleknock seems to extend further towards the Meath border with much of Blanchardstown and Clonsilla already swallowed up by this leafy suburb."

The small, community-based village of Clonee in county Meath evokes images of cosy rural pubs with fires burning brightly and people taking labradors for walks across the frosty fields. Its residents are no doubt perturbed to discover that it has grown to encompass the 5,000 estate-centred houses across the border in county Dublin that previously went under the title of Phibblestown, Littlepace or Castaheany. This new tack has been driven by developers, for whom the village of Clonee is a great selling-point, though after nine years, many residents are frustrated by the lack of an exclusive, defining name for the new estates.

An Post has also allowed new developments in the Pelletstown/Ashtown area to use the Dublin 15 postcode. However, these new areas come under the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council and so should be designated either Dublin 7 or 11.

Of course, this is not a purely Dublin 15 phenomenon. It was recently revealed how former TD Liam Lawlor successfully lobbied to have great swathes of development transferred from Clondalkin to Lucan, thus increasing the value of the property by a significant amount. Home-buyers, under the impression that they were purchasing houses in Santry, Dublin 9, were decidedly miffed to discover they actually resided in Clonshaugh, Dublin 17. And in a recent case, it was decided by An Post that a new housing development in Swords was actually in Malahide, many miles away.

It was this latter case that has prompted Leo Varadkar, to call for new legislation to be enacted to put a stop to 'address snobbery' in the marketing of new housing developments. "I believe the time has come to take away An Post's power to change addresses to suit developers," he said. "An Post has lost their mind in recent years when it comes to giving postal addresses to new housing developments. Residents of West Dublin are long familiar with the ever expanding towns of Lucan and Castleknock which now seem to make up half of the county."

"This nonsense really has to stop. It promotes snobbery and causes a lot of confusion when it comes to services, school districts, parishes and even political representation. I am now calling on new legislation to be enacted to remove An Post's power to set place names. These powers should be vested in the City and County Council Naming Committees that are made up of local councillors, planning officials and local historians."

Secondary School "disappears" from funding list
by Conor Brophy

The Department of Education has been accused of ignoring post-primary school children in Dublin 15 following the publication of a school building programme which makes no provision for a new secondary school in the area.

The Department's Capital Programme, the annual document in which it outlines funding allocations for school building in the year ahead, makes no mention of Dublin 15. Local residents and opposition politicians were highly critical both of the Department of Education and Minister Mary Hanafin for the apparent snub.

"This Government has made repeated promises to provide a full new secondary school for the Littlepace/Ongar area where huge population growth means that a secondary school is absolutely essential for next September," said Labour TD Joan Burton.

There are two sites in the Dublin 15 area designated for new schools, one at the Hansfield Special Development Zone (SDZ) and one in Phibblestown but, said Ms. Burton, it appears the Department has no current plans for either building.

"We are now in the eighth year of the development of more than six thousand houses in the Dublin 15/Clonee area, with many more thousands in the pipeline for Hansfield yet the Government has failed in a time when the Exchequer is awash with money to provide capital funding for either secondary school," she said.

The Dublin 15 Community Council also expressed concern following the announcement of the Capital Programme. Chairperson Kieran O'Neill said the council was worried that "the new secondary school that was announced for Dublin 15 to proceed to construction in 2004 has disappeared without trace".

The Capital Programme for 2004 indicated that a new post primary school will be provided in the Dublin 15 area. Responding to a question on the issue in November last year the Minister, Mary Hanafin said the Department was "pursuing the acquisition of a suitable site for this purpose. When the acquisition process is complete a post primary school will be constructed to cater for in excess of 800 pupils," she said.

The Minister said it was not possible to provide specific details related to sites or to the negotiations with developers because of the commercial sensitivity of the information.

According to figures provided by the Community Council, Dublin 15 is currently served by 22 primary schools with 8,313 pupils and only six post primary schools catering for 4,837 post primary pupils. No new secondary school have been built in the last 10 years while the area has grown from a population of 50,000 to 90,000.

"Given the difficulties of acquiring school sites from developers, it is hard to understand the enthusiasm of local councillors to re-zone more land for residential development in the adjacent Barnhill area without first securing the release of lands for schools," said Mr. O'Neill.

Carpenterstown Park Residents' Association reforming
by Sean Kenny

An initiative is currently underway to re-establish a Residents' Association in the Carpenterstown Park area.

The catalyst for the move is a dispute over a broken estate boundary wall, which runs parallel to Coolmine railway station beside the green space opposite Sycamore Avenue.

When contacted by local residents, Iarnród Éireann and Fingal County Council both claimed that repairing the wall was the responsibility of the other party. Without admitting liability in the matter, Iarnród Éireann repaired earlier damage to the wall in late 2003 and some years ago they erected a steel fence at the site, which blocks access to the railway line. Having erected this fence, Iarnród Éireann felt that they had addressed the safety issue arising from the broken wall and the company has refused requests to fix the wall.

According to local resident, Dabney Melia, "anti-social behaviour at the location of the broken wall has escalated. Also, kids as young as four have been seen playing on an incline behind the wall; this is still dangerous even though the railway line is not accessible due to the fence."

At a recent meeting of Fingal County Council, councillors were informed that the Parks Department was seeking advice from the Council's Law Agent regarding the broken wall and that a meeting with Iarnród Éireann would be arranged. However, over two months later the damaged section of wall has still not been fixed.

Dabney has lobbied to have the wall repaired for several months but, despite the efforts of several local politicians, admits, "we are at a standstill. It's a grey area as to whose responsibility it is to fix the wall." Thus the initiative to re-establish a Residents' Association, which clearly has more clout than individuals acting alone. In addition to the damaged wall there are other issues in the area that need to be addressed. According to Dabney, "there's been a lot of anti-social behaviour on the green. There are a lot of beer cans around. Halloween can be a nightmare; there are a lot of fires and they're not supervised. We'd also like to get new road signs."

Dabney draws encouragement from the success of the Residents' Association in nearby Bramley Estate. She says "there are a lot of residents in the area who care. We're not specifically looking for committee members but we're interested in people giving their input as to what they want to happen in the area."

Residents of the Maple, Cherry and Sycamore estates who wish to get involved can contact carpenterstownresidents@docshop.ie

Four new Hotels for Dublin 15

Many a true word is spoken in jest and last month's story in Community Voice which referred to the development of a Dublin 15 tourism industry may yet prove to be the case.

Up to now visitors to Dublin 15 had very limited choice of accommodation indeed. Apart from rooms in the Travel Lodge and more recently, the Twelfth Lock, the only other places with rooms to rent were the small number of bed and breakfast establishments around Castleknock and Blanchardstown. For those with larger budgets available accommodation is also on offer at Luttrellstown Castle. In general however individual rooms are not available and only group bookings are accepted. There are 14 luxurious bedrooms available in the castle capable of accommodating up to 28 people. The cost per night is a mere €8,000 or depending on availability it can be booked for an entire week for €56,000.

The new Castleknock Hotel is promising top quality accommodation but at much more realistic prices. The new hotel, which is part of the Tower Hotel Group, whose portfolio included the exclusive Faithlegg House Hotel in Waterford, are opening their new premises at Somerton on the Porterstown Road this month. One of the first functions in the new hotel will be a Valentine's ball in aid of the Dublin West Hospice movement. However just like Dublin Bus - you wait for ages for a bus and then a lot of them all come together - Castleknock Hotel will shortly be joined by a number of other establishments aiming at both the local and visitor market.

Work is scheduled to commence shortly on a new hotel on the lands adjoining the Elm Green golf course in Castleknock, while Green Property Company has applied for planning permission for a 17 storey hotel, 200 bedroom hotel and 208 unit aparthotel with a bar, lounge, restaurant, leisure centre and business centre on the site adjoining PC World at the Blanchardstown Centre.

Twinlite Developments, developers of the major hosing estates in the Tyrellstown area, have applied to build a 140 bedroom Hotel and leisure centre at their Tyrellstown site. It is understood that the Meridien Group, which until recently managed the Shelbourne Hotel, has expressed an interest in the project. Meanwhile development work has also commenced at Luttrellstown Castle where a number of holiday homes and a 100 bedroom hotel are being built.

The notion of a tourism industry in Dublin 15 is not as far fetched as it might seem. With so many multi-national companies operating in the area there is a constant stream of foreign business people visiting the area and up to now they have been obliged to seek accommodation either at the Airport or in the city centre.

Tourism sources also point to the other amenities available in and around the area. There are a number of excellent golf courses in and adjacent to Dublin 15; Ireland's largest shopping centre is based here and other facilities such as Farmleigh, Luttrellstown, the Phoenix Park, Shackleton's Mills and the Liffey Valley also offer excellent tourist based attractions for visitors.

Local Fine Gael councillor Leo Varadkar, has called for the establishment of a local Tourist Board to capitalise on the new developments. According to Cllr. Varadkar, "at a recent conference in Co Clare, I saw how other Council's promote and prioritise the tourism industry. Fingal has a lot to learn. I believe that we need to establish a Dublin 15 Tourism Board to take on the job of promoting tourism and maximising tourist revenues in our corner of Dublin."

The Church of the Sacred Heart in Huntstown was the delighted and very appropriate recipient of a prestigious piece of art by the renowned Cork-based artist Pamela Hardesty recently.

The work, which was unveiled on January 23rd, is a one metre square piece comprising tiny pieces of glass woven together with wire. It represents the artist's personal exploration of the Sacred Heart and its role in today's society.

Set in a square background, to represent the wider Universe, a circular pool of blood surrounds the central wound. Above and below are images evoking intellectuality and physicality, the twin approaches to the mystery of the Host. The shadow of a chalice can be seen, cupping the wound. The tiny beads of glass reflect the light to underscore the luminosity and vibrancy of the Catholic message.

It is quite fitting that such a piece of work should find a home in a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart.

Born and raised in West Virginia, in America's Bible belt, Pamela Hardesty moved to Ireland in 1986. She is based in Kinsale, and in 2002 produced her first exhibition in Cork City. She has recently completed a large commissioned piece for the Science Department of UCC. She travelled up to Huntstown to explain the Sacred Heart piece and the reasoning behind it to parishioners.

"The struggle for art is very similar to the struggle for faith," she said. "Even the very act of construction, cutting each piece of glass and binding it with wire, is very repetitive, meditative and almost a form of worship in itself." A lapsed Baptist, according to her husband Tom, her search for fulfilment led to her becoming a Catholic in 2000 and explains her exploration of religion through her art. The piece, which she is delighted to see displayed in such a modern and appropriate setting as Huntstown Church, took many months to complete, and is "a sincere effort to serve God and proclaim His truth."

The unique creation in glass occupies a prominent position in the church, where it can be appreciated by everyone. "We are absolutely delighted to have such a beautiful and evocative work of art donated to the Church," said Father Eugene McCarthy, Parish Priest, "and we are sincerely grateful to Pamela and her husband Tom for coming up to see it unveiled."

Based on Blanchardstown's Main Street, the local Youthreach project is one of Dublin 15's unsung education success stories.

At present there are 76 students in attendance, all of whom had previously dropped out of the education system. 28 of these are studying for this year's Leaving Certificate examinations and 16 preparing for the Junior Cert. The remaining students are studying on a wide range of FETAC courses.

A team of eight tutors prepare the students for these examinations and according to Career Guidance Counsellor, Liam Dineen, the success rate is very high. "Most of those in this year's Leaving Cert programme have progressed from doing their Junior Cert here, while many of them are now planning to go on to further education, either in the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown or on post leaving cert courses," he said.

According to Resource Manager, Louise Ryan, "we offer a range of courses to our students. They include a tourism course, reception skills, and business and secretarial courses. Most of our young people have been referred to us by their schools, although some are self referred and some have already had brothers or sisters here. We offer an alternative to main stream education. Our approach is different and all our students are treated as adults."

Her colleague Sandra Bagnall agrees. "We take account of all the students' individual learning abilities," she says. "Indeed many of our teachers have themselves come from an early school leaving background."

This is underlined by Liam Dineen's comment that "I have two pupils this year who are hoping to go to college and come back here to work when they qualify."

There are significant differences between the programmes offered in Youthreach and those on offer in mainstream schools. "We have a huge focus on personal development here," says Linda. "In mainstream education there is a big emphasis on leaving cert results, whereas we would emphasise communication skills and personal development - not just the academic results."

Liam Dineen is particularly impressed with the results being achieved by students at the centre. "They are often leaving a situation at home to come here to learn and then returning to the same home environment that is not geared at all towards educational achievement," he said.

Geraldine and Rachel are two 22 year old single mothers from Whitestown who have returned to education at Youthreach. Both were able to return to education thanks to the crèche facilities on offer at the Centre for their children. Geraldine says she "left school in fifth year because she thought earning money was more important." Subsequently she came to Youthreach where she got her Leaving Certificate two years ago and is now studying with a view to getting work as a receptionist. "They are so supportive here," she says. "If I have a problem, I can approach them and I will get the help I need."

Rachel agrees. "Because we work in smaller groups here they can give us the support we need. If I wasn't studying here, I'd just be sitting at home, lying on the sofa watching television. I really do want to get a job and Youthreach has given me the confidence so that I can go out and work and be part of society."

A Dublin 15 man employed as a "trouble-shooter" for a collapsed building company has been awarded €63,416 by the Employment Appeals Tribunal which found that he was unfairly dismissed by the group's receiver.

Noel McCarthy, of Clonsilla Road, had been told by a representative of the receiver for Moorview Developments that he was being made redundant, but Mr. McCarthy claimed that he had been unfairly dismissed.

Moorview was part of the Cunningham Group, the building business owned by Galway builder Brian Cunningham. It was put into receivership in 2003 with debts of more than €29 million. Mr. McCarthy told the Employment Appeals Tribunal that he was employed as a "group trouble-shooter with day-to-day responsibility for work on a housing development at Dunsoghly in Finglas."

The 156 homes at Dunsoghly had all been sold, but landscaping and boundary works were never completed. According to Mr. McCarthy "the area was in a shocking state' and there was a lot of work to be done." He estimated the cost of this work at between €150,000 and €200,000.

Mr. McCarthy said he had spoken to local councillors on "three or four occasions'' and they had agreed to rezone another site belonging to the company if the works were carried out on the estate at Dunsoghly. He said that he had written to the receiver-manager of Moorview emphasising that the work to complete the Dunsoghly estate should be completed in order to secure the rezoning of the adjoining lands. While this rezoning could take up to two years to secure, it would increase the value of the land from between €30,000 and €40,000 an acre to €1 million an acre, he said.

In April 2003, after his return from holidays Mr. McCarthy was told by a member of the receiver's staff that "we have no work for you."

Marcus Dowling BL representing the receiver, said that Moorview was a "dead duck" and the receiver had decided to make McCarthy redundant. He also pointed out that the work at Dunsoghly had eventually been done for €19,000 by a firm of construction project advisers. If Mr. McCarthy had been kept on, the work would have cost €100,000.

However Pat Russell, counsel for Mr. McCarthy said it was time for receivers to realise that they also had obligations under the Employment Acts. He pointed out that there had been no attempt to negotiate with his client, no proper consideration or investigation of the situation had taken place and it was in effect an ad hoc dismissal.

Finding that Mr. McCarthy had been unfairly dismissed the Tribunal awarded him damages of €60,000 and compensation of €3,416.

When they first appeared on our streets, Dublin Bus's so-called 'bendy buses' were regarded as modern and cool. Now unfortunately, the company has abandoned plans to add any further bendy buses to its fleet.

The 20 buses were originally purchased at a cost of €4 million and initially they were used on the No. 10 route from Phoenix Park to UCD via the city centre. However they have been removed from this route because of ongoing problems negotiating narrow city streets.

Now these long flexible people carriers have been assigned to the Dublin 15 area and will be used on routes between Castleknock and Blanchardstown and the city centre as well as on the City to Malahide route.

The distinctive articulated buses, were already behind schedule when they introduced early in 2001. before they could be driven in Dublin it was discovered that they had to be adjusted for Dublin traffic.

The buses were introduced during the reign of former Minister for Transport, Mary O'Rourke. It was intended at the time that they would be the first of many continental-style buses in Dublin.

Bus drivers were specially trained to use the new buses but even then there were worries about the bus's ability to cope with Dublin's narrower streets and National Bus and Railworkers' Union (NBRU) National Executive member Peter Duffy said that while buses were ideal in the right environment "we haven't got the right roads for them in Dublin".

One of the arguments given in favour of using the buses was that their design allows them to carry a lot of standing passengers along with seated passengers. A Dublin Bus spokeswoman now admits that "they are a lot more suitable for short journeys than ones of one and a half hours." Strangely one and a half hours is exactly the time it takes to travel by bus from Dublin 15 into the city centre at peak time!