This article is from page 18 of the 2011-06-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
CLARE County Council is to hold a special meeting on the ongoing controversy over the iconic Ballyvaughan sign.
At last night’s Council meeting, a group of councillors put a forward a motion requesting a meeting to discuss the removal of the sign which has been strongly opposed by residents and business people in North Clare. The motion also proposed that the sign be re-installed at its original location and that it be listed as a protected structure.
Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) asked if the Council could provide a list of accidents that have occurred on the road near the sign. He said that it was within the remit of the Council to place a conservation order on the sign.
He added, “It was iconic and had particular relevance for people of Ballyvaughan and its removal was due to a vacuum of information.”
Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) said that signage is a big issue in Clare. He told the meeting that there are three different spellings of Lahinch and two different spellings of Ballyvaughan. He said, “If you were a tourist in this county you wouldn’t know whether you were coming or going.”
Cllr Arkins added that the different spellings of towns and villages had made Clare an “international laughing stock”.
Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) called for the National Roads Authority (NRA) to take a more realistic approach to signage. He said the removal of the sign had left people in North Clare feeling “outraged” and “victimised”.
He added, “The people in North Clare are relying on the sign for their livelihoods and this should be pointed out quite forcefully to the NRA.”
Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) told the meeting that if the NRA had “nothing to do but to look at signs, it should be abolished”.
County Manager Tom Coughlan said there had been contacts on an hourly basis between the Council and the NRA. He said he could not comment too much on the current situation regarding the sign, as he had not yet had a chance to speak with the Director of Service.
However he added that as far as the Council was concerned, it was the view of the NRA on Friday evening that the sign should not go up.
Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) described the level of ambiguity coming from the NRA as “dreadful”.