Local Notes: All the latest news from Ballyhaunis

Local Notes: All the latest news from Ballyhaunis

Gorse and whitethorn bloom in Friary riverside walk Ballyhaunis. Picture: Adam Kaczmarek

Bus Éireann 'considering' expanded service 

Bus Éireann is considering expanding the bus service connecting Ballyhaunis to Galway, according to the company. 

In response to a query submitted by Minister Dara Calleary, after coverage of the service in this column, the company said: “[Our] Expressway team [is] actively considering Ballyhaunis for enhanced services beyond what is currently available on Route 64, but it is still being reviewed by our operations planning team.” 

The last bus for Ballyhaunis leaves Galway at 4pm on weekdays, making it difficult for college students to commute if they’re in class till evening time. One local man studying at the Atlantic Technological University detailed how he’s forced to ride a motorbike even in winter weather because accommodation in Galway remains prohibitively expensive and classes some days run to 5pm, after the last bus has departed.

Fr Stephen’s tribute to Pope Francis 

Pope Francis “did a lot to heal the divisions between science and religion” in his care for the environment, said Ballyhaunis parish priest Fr Stephen Farragher who learned of the death of Pope Francis after landing at Bordeaux Airport with a ‘Faith and Light’ pilgrimage.

Fr Stephen pointed to Francis’ “outstanding” encyclical ‘Laudato Si’.

“He challenged political leaders to heed the ‘cry of the earth’ and the ‘cry of the poor’. His encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’, written during Covid, reminds us that every element of creation, not just human beings, are interlinked and interdependent. He was an outstanding spokesperson for the plight of migrants, reminding populist politicians that they are human beings, created in the image and likeness of God.” 

Fr Stephen recalled how in April 2013, shortly after Pope Francis’ appointment, he walked a 200-mile pilgrim trail from Siena to Rome called the Via Francigena. 

“I was one of the thousands of pilgrims who were in St Peter’s Square for the Wednesday audience.

“When Pope Francis visited Knock I was part of the Press Corps, so I didn’t get to see him.

“On Easter Sunday, he could only imagine what the resurrection could mean. Today, he is experiencing it in his heavenly home. 

"We still recall his first words when he appeared on the balcony is St Peter’s, following his election in 2013. Instead of giving the usual blessing, he simply said ‘I ask you to bless me’. 

"He has preached and practiced compassion. Everywhere he travelled he reached out to people of every religion and none. Ironically, some of his greatest admirers were outside the Church and some of his fiercest critics were within the ranks of the Church.” 

New 'Annagh' committee named 

At its annual general meeting on April 29th, the Annagh Magazine Society elected Tommy Caulfield as chairman while Seamus Mulrennan was selected as vice chair.

Jim Lundon and John Halpin were elected president and vice president respectively while the role of secretary and assistant secretary went to Noreen Ruane-Dalton and Paul Waldron.

Eddie Mulhern and John Kilduff were elected treasurer and assistant treasurer respectively. Nell Rochford was named public relations officer and Mike Griffin is patrons officer. Noreen Ruane-Dalton and Gabriel Smyth were appointed I.T. personnel.

Volunteers who were involved in the recent Good Friday cleanup organised by Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns.
Volunteers who were involved in the recent Good Friday cleanup organised by Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns.

€350,000 sought for town centre site 

An 8.3-acre site adjacent to Aldi and St Patrick’s Church in Ballyhaunis is being offered for sale at €350,000, according to the estate agent Cushman Wakefield, which is handling the sale.

The price tag for the site appears modest given another site in a less central location was offered last year for €1 million.

Local auctioneer and estate agent Kevin Kirrane sees the 8.3-acre site, which was earmarked for a hotel development during the Celtic Tiger era, as ideal for housing but believes increased intervention by the state to get houses built at all costs is actually making the housing market less competitive for developers at a time of high building costs.

“It’s a great site but build cost is a big issue in Ballyhaunis and as you can see everything going on is through charities or housing associations with big government funding involved so it’s not a genuine market.” 

Mr Kirrane sees an investor potentially buying the site and sitting on it. 

“Buyers will buy it for development later I’m sure but I’m not sure when that might be.” 

Citizen scientists to monitor Dalgan water 

The citizen science team under Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns will be monitoring the water quality of the local Dalgan River on May 17th, starting at 10am in the stretch of the river passing through the Friary grounds. 

The group welcomes anyone who’d like to join the monitoring to meet in the Friary carpark at 10am after which they’ll be taught how to take samples in the river – an effective method which judges the water by the presence or absence of pollution tolerant species like slugs and species less tolerant to pollution, such as the Mayfly.

A recent report on the health of the Dalgan River, compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), notes previous improvements to water quality have not been maintained, according to data collected at two EPA monitoring stations (the bridge in Ballyhaunis town and a bridge in Culnaclecha) in the Dalgan River in 2024. These two points in the river are therefore once again classified as moderately polluted.

In slightly better news, the longstanding bad and poor quality of the seriously polluted station – two kilometres southwest of Ballyhaunis in the direction of Irishtown - has improved to moderate condition for the first time since monitoring commenced there in 1979.

The water quality in the Dalgan had improved over the past two decades but is in decline again, noted Dr William O’Connor, an environmental consultant focused on rivers and a frequent past visitor to the Dalgan and the Clare River into which it flows before entering the Corrib and then the sea at Galway.

Speaking to this column, Mr O’Connor also pointed out that the Ballyhaunis wastewater treatment plant, operated by Uisce Éireann, is not compliant with its discharge licence. A report on the plant published by Uisce Éireann for the year 2023 (the most recent year for which such a report is available) noted that discharges of ammonia from the plant were above the levels allowed for in its license.

Trump’s actions may push more migrants to Ireland

US President Donald Trump’s savage cuts to American aid budgets are set to drive more migrants and asylum seekers to Ireland, according to residents of the IPAS centre in Ballyhaunis.

A south Asian and an African resident at the centre told this column that drastic cuts by the American government to USAID (America’s now-closed official aid agency) programmes in their respective countries meant that attempts to improve local economies and services have been abandoned. 

“People lose hope of improvements at home and they go to Europe,” said the African asylum seeker, who stressed that his leaving of his homeland was prompted by political persecution.

“The population of most African countries are increasing quickly but there are few jobs and now the aid for improving the economies and creating jobs is being taken away so more people will try to go to Europe and some will seek asylum if they can’t get a work visa which is really hard to get if you’re an African with few formal skills or certificates.” 

Asylum seekers are more likely to go to Europe rather than America, noted the South Asian asylum seeker. 

“We have all seen the images of asylum seekers and migrants being arrested and deported in chains,” said the Ballyhaunis-based asylum seeker.

Vocal support for Trump among Irish-America – and a columnist in another Mayo newspaper – has often centred on his vows to tighten borders and deport illegal immigrants. As a result, would-be asylum seekers and migrants have looked to other western economies like Ireland. The effects are set to become apparent as funding dries up later this year, prompting an exodus from poorer nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Pakistan, Somalia and Nigeria rank among the leading sources for asylum seekers seeking protection in Ireland.

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