News

Car Parking Strategy Public Consultation

Monaghan County Council has appointed AECOM as consultants to develop a Car Parking Strategy and Action Plan for Carrickmacross.

An important strand of this study is to ensure the appropriate provision and location of car parking in the town. The Car Park Strategy will cover the town centre with a particular focus on the use and management of the Council managed parking spaces.

We are currently at the second stage of the study, and are holding a public consultation day to meet with members of the general public to discuss key issues related to parking in Carrickmacross.

This will be open to the public between 4-6pm on Tuesday 10^th March 2020 in Carrickmacross Civic Centre.

https://www.facebook.com/carrickmacrosschamberofcommerce/

http://carrickmacrosschamber.com/

What do we need for the wellbeing of the community of County Monaghan? That is the question Monaghan PPN will put to the public and to groups/organisations across the County. Developing a Vision for Community Wellbeing means thinking about what we have and what we need to help our County be as great as it can be for now and for the future. To start this important conversation, Monaghan PPN has organised three workshops (one in each Municipal District) as follows:

Tuesday 3rd March Westenra Arms Hotel Registration at 6.30pm Light Refreshments served

Wednesday 4th March The Old Post Office Clones Registration at 6.30pm Light Refreshments served

Thursday 5th March Iontas Centre Castleblayney Registration at 6.30pm Light refreshments served

Topics such as Health, Transport, Childcare, Climate Change will be high on the agenda for discussion. The information gathered will be used to guide our PPN representatives in influencing policy to inform how the PPN work on behalf of the community and to influence key organisations in the County and at national level to ensure their services and programmes to reflect the identified priorities of the community.

It is really important that we begin to talk about what we can do to make County Monaghan the best it can be. To register to attend one of the three sessions please contact Leona Keenan at 047 73750 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Huge Appetite and Effort in the North East to Recycle Plastic Bottles

People have travelled from all over the North East to recycle their plastic bottles. In an on the spot survey at the Plastic bottle Reverse Vending machine , users stated they were travelling from Drogheda, Cavan, Clones & Monaghan to recycle. Users of the Reverse Vending Machine are making a very conscious effort to collect up bottles, wash them and then travel to Carrickmacross to recycle them.

Brian Finnegan of Shabra Plastics commenting on the machine, stated ‘because of the effort of people, the quality and cleanliness of the bottles being recycled Shabra can recycle 100% of the bottles from the Reverse Vending Machine’. Whereas, he stated, ‘normal green bin plastic recycling is around 65%’

Andrew Spare, whose idea it was to put in the Plastic bottle Reverse Vending machine, is delighted that not only are individual households making such an effort but that local schools are now getting involved. Inver College 2nd year students are in the regional final of the SEAI ‘One Good Idea’ competition with their submission highlighting the need for this type of machine in towns and villages throughout Ireland. Whilst Patrician High School Transition Year students have launched an in-school plastic bottle collection which has contributed considerably to the project. Their fundraising efforts will also help finance the new Linear Park project

‘In Ireland there is an estimated 220,000 plastic bottles used and disposed of every day’, stated Gerry Hand from Carrickmacross Town Towns. ‘So, as an organisation we recognise this is only a dip in the ocean of plastic. However, if the facilities are made available and people are encouraged, we can all make a difference.’

Carrickmacross Tidy Towns will be holding an information seminar on the process of getting the Plastic bottle Reverse Vending machine in place, costs and recommendations in March 2020. Check out our Facebook page for more information : www.facebook.com/carrickmacrosstidytowns

Picture by Pat Byrne.

FREE Five Week Basic iPhone, iPad, Tablet and Smartphone class commencing on the 19th February from 13:15- 15:15 in Carrickmacross Workhouse.

If you would like to book a place please call Angela on 046 9280790

On Monday, 27th January 2020, the 6-acre Carrickmacross Workhouse site, including its Famine Graves, returned to community ownership when they were purchased by Monaghan Co. Council.

Built in 1841, the first families were admitted to the Workhouse on 11th February 1843 - almost 177 years ago to the day.

Since this time, the buildings and site passed into private ownership, while a local group, Farney Community Development Group, took a long-term lease and restored the front building into a Community Heritage, Training and Resource Centre.

We sincerely thank Monaghan County Council, in particular our Carrickmacross and Castleblayney Municipal District Councillors, for securing €540,000 funding to purchase this historic site in order to protect and develop it into the future.

Special tribute is due to the hundreds of people, past and present, who supported the Workhouse over the past 20 years, and those who worked behind the scenes to return it to its rightful owners - our community.

The full story can be read in this week’s Northern Standard, 30th January, and the photograph is courtesy of the Standard's photographer, Pat Byrne.

Hot Desk spaces available through Enterprising Monaghan 

See enterprising Monaghan website here: enterprisingmonaghan.ie

Carrickmacross Tennis Club are having an information desk in Supervalu tomorrow Saturday from 10am - 4pm.

We are looking for people interested in playing tennis to drop in to get an update on construction of courts for the club.

AECOM have developed a parking user survey on behalf of Monaghan County Council. The survey seeks to determine the views of parking users and should be completed by anyone who regularly parks in the town.

Please find here the link to the car park user survey - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/8CTCFV2

A public information meeting will take place on January 13th at 7pm in Tracey’s Hotel, Magheracloone to inform residents of Carrickmacross and Magheracloone about potential mining developments in the area. Adventus Zinc Ireland Limited have applied for a renewal of their prospecting licence and Gyproc Mines have proposed the extension of their existing open cast mine.

There is an application in progress at the moment to renew the prospecting licence for Base Metals, Barytes, Gypsum, Silver (Ores of), and Gold (Ores of) held by Adventus Zinc Ireland Limited. The area covered by this licence includes highly populated address including; Drummond Otra, Magheross, Magheraboy and Lisanisk. The planning for this was advertised on December 19th and people have only 30 days to respond to this. After the huge disruption caused by road closures in Magheracloone in 2018/19 due to the flooding of the Gyproc Mines, there is great concern about mining under roads in populated areas.

This meeting is being held to discuss the potential impact on the environment and health of residents in the area by these possible developments. There is a lack of information available to the community about the environmental changes that could take place if licences and planning permission is granted to extend mining around this area.
Mining can have a significant impact on people's lives so it is important to be aware of the impact of noise, blasting and dust which can occur close to mining areas. Whilst these developments may not affect you now they may affect future generations.

At the meeting residents who live beside the current Gyproc open cast mine will share their experiences to date. Speakers from the SOS – Save Our Sperrins Group and the Cavan Mining Objection Group will give information on the effects of Mining and point out the key elements residents should be aware of.

At this time of significant climate change when we are all more aware of our environment and the fragility of our ecosystem it is important that we have access to all key information on the impact of mining on it.
This meeting is being organised and held by the concerned residents of Drumgossatt/Knocknacran, Magheracloone. Everyone is welcome.