Latest news with #SligoCountyCouncil
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Sligo council ‘not adequately funded' to buy second hand homes
He also stated that the €3 million allocated to County Sligo was already committed for the purchase, fees and costs of refurbishment works committed to under the programme in 2024. 'In fact, the €3 million allocation is not adequate to cover the cost of the commitments we entered into last year. "Sligo's current commitment is €3,111,135. So not only have we no funding to address social housing needs as part of the Second Hand Social Housing acquisitions programme for 2025, that fact is that the €3 million we have been allocated is insufficient to allow us complete commitments which the Department of Housing actually approved in 2024. "This Council has also been told by the Department that, other that the €3 million allocated to us, no further funding will be made available to Sligo this year. 'I have to say that I find this shocking and unacceptable, particularly given the fact that we are in the midst of a housing crisis,' Cllr Bree told the monthly meeting of the council. He outlined how In March the Government and Minister for Housing announced €325 million in funding to address social housing needs as part of the Second Hand Social Housing acquisitions programme for 2025. 'The Minister said the 2025 second-hand acquisitions programme would facilitate the purchase of second-hand homes for Tenant-in-Situ Acquisitions. Families with children, older people or those with disabilities were to be prioritised under the tenant-in-situ scheme, however no household was excluded we were told. 'The Minister said local authorities could target the funding and he said the government was committed to the second-hand acquisitions programme and tenant-in-situ acquisition stream given its important role in the prevention of homelessness. "Government TDs in this constituency said they were delighted to see the tenant in situ scheme so well-funded for 2025. They said it would provide opportunities for long term renters to stay in their home with the local authority as their landlord for the long term. "Everyone in this chamber is aware that the crisis is causing huge distress, anxiety and despair to people here in Sligo and in communities across the country. The tenant-in-situ programme helped to alleviate the stress for a number of households in recent years. ADVERTISEMENT "However, Sligo County Council can no longer implement the scheme as the Government is not providing the necessary funding. "I am therefore appealing to the government supporters in this Council and more so to the three Government TDs in this constituency to make the necessary representations to the government and Minister for Housing so as to ensure that adequate funding is provided this year to allow this Council to fulfil its obligations under the Second Hand Social Housing acquisitions programme for 2025. A motion from Cllr Bree calling on the Minister and the Government to increase the funding allocation to Sligo County Council as a matter of urgency so as to allow it to acquire second hand houses for priority cases including people with a disability and older persons requiring urgent housing responses was unanimously adopted.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Festivals running the risk of closing as call goes out for more funding from Fáilte Ireland
And, Cllr Thomas Walsh claimed that Fáilte Ireland were 'asleep at the wheel' as it has only given Sligo County Council a 'paltry €26,000' to run local festivals in the past five years. Cllr Walsh, who is involved with the Ballygawley Music Festival and Sligo Live, said festivals were hanging by a thread. He was speaking amid fears for the independent festival scene, after Sea Sessions in Bundoran announced it isn't going ahead this year, while a liquidator was appointed to the company behind the Wild Roots Festival in Sligo last year and is no more. Meanwhile, Barry O'Neill organiser of the hugely popular Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshanon has expressed fears for its future. Cllr Walsh said: 'There was a small bit of support for events over Covid but then inflation kicked in post Covid, and nothing was put in place for live festival events. 'So, costs have skyrocketed, and it is something I have been highlighting for years and the whole events thing is hanging on by a thread. 'This is because of huge increased costs, and I know from Ballygawley Music Festival in July and Sligo Summer Festival who were hoping to run a second weekend on the August Bank Holiday Weekend, but it was not possible because it would cost them an extra €70,000 to run a second weekend. 'Sligo Live and Cairde and our own festival are very successful, but our costs in Ballygawley are up on €120,000 which includes insurance, operational costs, site set up costs, energy costs and the cost of the acts have gone up because of the knock- on effects of the increase in the price of fuel for travel and their insurance has gone up too. 'All of that is passed on to the festivals and the organisers are forced to pass that on to the price of the ticket which is regrettable but necessary,' he said. Cllr Walsh added that nine smaller festivals collapsed in 2024, and the UK has the same problem where 60 folded last year. ADVERTISEMENT He added that another factor impacting was the huge crowds attending headline acts in Croke Park, the Aviva or other major venues. 'These massive artists sell out venues, but they are portraying a false economy because people are saving their money for the big festivals and not supporting the smaller ones.' Cllr Walsh was critical of Fáilte Ireland. 'Its budget from the State last year was €140m and all they give Sligo County Council for events in the county is a mere €26,000. That would not pay for a marquee, insurance etc 'Ballygawley gets €4,000 from Fáilte Ireland for an event that costs €120,000, so it would not cover even the toilet facilities.' 'But they do good work in terms of capital spending and Queen Maeve Square would not be there only for Failte Ireland and Strandhill Surf Centre of Excellence, so they are doing well on the capital side. 'But they are not supporting live is a three night festival and 5,000 people were there last year. Cllr Walsh added that Irish Public Bodies IPB who supply insurance and public liability for all Council offices and State facilities, could open it up to live events and it would take the cost away from the operator. 'I believe the State should take over the insurance via IPB which is their own insurance policy.' 'Fáilte Ireland should be made increase the funding to local authorities and I am talking about events of 500 and over and less than 5,000. '€26,000 is a kick in the teeth for Sligo festivals and €100,000 per local authority would not be out of the way and that is the reality of it. 'It would just get their heads above water and festivals are in survival mode all over the country. Cllr Walsh added that culture and arts were the backbone of our economy. 'There is a huge knock- on benefit for Sligo from all these festivals so they should be supported. 'Fáilte Ireland is the vehicle for tourism, and they talk about supporting visitor attractions and festivals but really they are not supporting festivals. 'Unless there is an injection of cash into these festivals more of them are going to collapse.'
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
Excavation in Co Sligo recovers over 1,000 artefacts from 17th century
More than 1,000 historical artefacts have been recorded during a three-week excavation of a seventeenth century fort in Co Sligo led by ATU archeologists. One of 65 bastioned forts in Ireland, the Green Fort located on Fort Hill in Sligo town is the last visible reminder of the seventeenth-century town fortifications. The Green Fort which was in existence during the Williamite Wars and the Confederate Wars is thought to have been built during the Nine Years War (1594-1603). The archeological excavation involved opening an excavation trench in the fort interior. Recorded discoveries included military artifacts as well as other artifacts which display evidence of the food, drink and smoking habits of those once stationed at the Green Fort. Dr Fiona Beglane who led the excavation told RTÉ News the artefacts recorded "include clay pipes for smoking tobacco". "We also have glass, pottery and animal bones, which are evidence of food. On the military side we have found musket balls, buttons and part of a mortar bomb." Dr Beglane also said the dig found "evidence of historic drainage works, destruction and renovation of the interior of the fort". The excavation was carried out by ATU students of the Certificate in Archaeological Excavation and Post-Excavation and the Certificate in Archaeological Field Studies. Students also came from USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Kosovo and the Ukraine as well as community volunteers funded by Sligo County Council. The team hoped to gain an insight into the nature of the buildings, structures and features that once occupied the fort, thus shedding light on the lives of those stationed there. A fort's primary function was to mount artillery and protect a garrison during periods of warfare. The spear-shaped bastion fort was a strategic base during the Williamite Wars as Sligo lay on the main passage between Ulster and north-west Connacht. A copy of a commemorative medal of the 1691 capture of Athlone, Galway and Sligo held in the British Museum depicts Sligo, with the Green Fort on the lower right of the medal. In 2017, Sligo County Council commissioned a conservation plan for the Green Fort in Rathquarter townland to address the long-term preservation of the monument. As part of the conservation plan, the council commissioned geophysical surveys of the Green Fort, one of seven such sites in the county. A circular feature, about 25 metres in diameter, was identified in the centre of the monument, possibly an early medieval ringfort mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, which recorded the presence of an early medieval ringfort known as Ráith dá Briotócc at the location where the Green Fort now stands within O'Boyle Public Park. Since the 1980s, different community groups have celebrated the Green Fort through enactments of Williamite attacks, public lectures, guided tours and conservation works. The Green Fort Archaeology Project was conceived two years ago following discussions between the ATU archaeologists, Dr Fiona Beglane and Dr Marion Dowd, Sligo County Council, and the National Monuments Service. The Green Fort which commands a 360-degree view of Sligo town is recognised as a national monument and it is protected under the National Monuments Act.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
New report highlights ‘transformative potential' of Sligo to Enniskillen Greenway project
The report, titled 'An economic vision for the Sligo to Enniskillen Greenway (SLNCR)' is designed as a working document to inform future planning and funding strategies, rather than a fixed plan or guarantee of outcomes. The report was developed by Sligo County Council as lead, in partnership with Leitrim County Council, Cavan County Council, and Fermanagh/Omagh District Council. The study, funded under a successful application to the Shared Island Development funding initiative, and prepared by Urban Foresight, highlights the proposed greenway's potential to support rural development, sustainable tourism, and local enterprise along the route. It offers a practical framework for how local authorities, businesses, and communities might plan for and respond to the potential opportunities which may be presented by the project. While the greenway infrastructure is still at an early stage, the economic vision allows early considerations develop for business and communities in the region to look at possible projects and enterprises linked with the greenway on transport, accommodation, food, and other local and cultural facilities and experiences. It should be noted that the study is not taking any position on route selection and is focusing only on the opportunities that could emerge from a greenway. The report highlights how the SLNCR Greenway can become a powerful engine for sustainable rural development by attracting visitors, supporting local businesses, and opening new investment opportunities. 'This greenway is not just a route—it's a pathway to economic and community revitalisation,' said Cllr Casserly. 'It offers a unique opportunity to connect towns and villages, attract new types of visitors, and create vibrant local economies.' The greenway will likely cater to a wide range of users, from families and casual walkers to more serious cyclists, with particular focus on ebikes—a rapidly growing sector that suits the region's terrain and accessibility goals. Key opportunities identified for local businesses include: New footfall for cafés, pubs, and restaurants near the route, increased demand for bike hire, ebike services, and accessible cycling, opportunities for tour operators and activity providers, boosts to accommodation, transport services, and retail and spillover benefits for attractions, events, and remote working tourism. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more To maximise its impact, the report identifies nine key conditions for success, including strong branding, public-private collaboration, enhanced cycling and transport infrastructure, cultural investment, and protection of the natural environment. 'This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,' said Cllr Casserly. 'We must work together—local councils, communities, and businesses—to ensure the SLNCR Greenway delivers lasting social and economic benefits.' Cllr Casserly also welcomed the report's call for a clear marketing strategy and a strong, unified brand that highlights the greenway's identity as an 'accessible wilderness'—a place for healthy, family-friendly, sustainable adventure. Public engagement will play a central role in naming and shaping the route, with a transparent process to ensure community voices are heard and reflected in the final identity. Cllr Casserly added: 'The SLNCR Greenway will be more than a journey through our landscape—it will be a journey towards a stronger, greener, more connected regional economy.' This project is to provide a greenway from Sligo town to Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, passing through Collooney, Ballintogher, Dromahair, Manorhamilton, Glenfarne, Blacklion, Belcoo and Letterbreen on the way. The project is named after the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (SLNCR) which operated as a 75 km railway line linking Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh to Collooney, Co. Sligo where it connected with the Sligo-Dublin line. The report has now been made public and copies are available through the Local Community Development Committee of Sligo County Council.
RTÉ News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Plan for 63 Sligo social homes delayed over costs
The delivery of a planned 63-unit social housing scheme in Sligo has been put on hold after the Department of Housing decided not to proceed over concerns about the cost of the project. The planned scheme at Rathellen, Finisklin was one of six schemes nationwide, comprising 486 social housing units in total that was due to be delivered under a public private partnership. The 486 units were due to be delivered as part of 'Social Housing Bundle 3 PPP' across four local authority areas. Dublin City Council is the lead local authority for the social housing bundle which comprises six schemes in total, including three sites in the capital alongside further sites in Kildare, Wicklow and Sligo. In a letter to the local authorities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said it decided not to proceed "due to the overall costs "which are now considered too high". All six sites within the social housing bundle have full planning permission. The Department said the units "will now be delivered by way of an alternative procurement and delivery strategy". The Department is due to begin a review with the National Development Finance Agency on the future Social Housing Public Private Partnership (PPP) bundles. The Department said it remains committed to delivering the 486 social housing units that PPP Bundle 3 was designed to provide in partnership with the NDFA and the relevant Local Authorities. Meanwhile, Sligo County Council has told public representatives that its Housing Capital Team is reviewing the options available for an alternative procurement and delivery strategy for the Rathellen site. Any planned strategy will require the agreement of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. 'Hugely disappointing' Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Cllr Declan Bree told RTÉ News he feels the situation is hugely disappointing. Cllr Bree said following the receipt of tenders there was an expectation that construction work on the housing scheme would commence shortly. He said there are more than 1,660 households on Sligo County Council's housing waiting list and the current housing crisis is causing "huge distress and anxiety". "In this context the decision not to proceed with the 63 social housing units in Finisklin can only be described as a serious setback. "Given the failure of the Minister and his Department to deliver this public private partnership deal we now need to see the Minister and the Government provide the necessary funding directly to the County Council so as we can deliver the scheme in a speedy and efficient manner," Cllr Bree said.
