This article is from page 4 of the 2013-01-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
CLARE’S four town councils will meet in Ennis on Monday to begin their fight for survival.
With an estimated 16 months left before they are to be dissolved in favour of local municipal councils made up of members of a smaller Clare County Council, some believe the members have left it all a little too late.
The councils have been issued with forms and formats from their governing body, the AMAI, outlining how best to present their individual cases for survival to the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, the minister also responsible for announcing their demise.
Kilrush Town Councillor Paul Moroney (Ind) said he was not expecting a lot from the process, as input from the councillors prior to the announcement was all but ignored by central Government.
Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) said town councillors had not come out fighting but they had to do something, even now.
“If we adopt the attitude of we can do nothing, then nothing will happen,” she said.
Kilrush Town Council is already researching and compiling a list of all that it has achieved in its 128year history, in its bid to the minister.
“I have trawled through archives both here [Kilrush Town Council] and in Clare County Council and in the Clare Local Studies Centre in Ennis.
“There are some very interesting snippets available from the land league, post famines and the Vandeleurs, right up to the present day,” explained Kilrush Town Clerk, John Corry.
All four councils – that is, Ennis, Kilrush, Shannon and Kilkee – will meet on Monday night, January 21, to further compile a county-wide argument to hang on to its four town councils.