Friday, November 20, 2009

The Soggy South East lives up to its name!











Yet again the Slaney has burst its banks in Enniscorthy and both quays were impassable today. The Riverside Park Hotel had to be evacuated as the Promenade disappeared under the flood waters and there was serious traffic gridlock all day. Some sensible flood relief scheme needs to be put in place urgently but not the mad plan with forty foot high walls that the OPW wish to inflict on the town. Here are are few pics to whet your appetite! Don't forget click on the pictures to enlarge.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Putting the Cart before the Horse?





Over the last few weeks new and, it must be said, attractive tourist signage has been appearing all over Enniscorthy but sadly the product thus advertised is dubious to say the least. The signpost pictured here on Castle Street points to the Athenaeum (derelict and a very long way from reopening); Enniscorthy Castle (empty but according to the County Council it is going to re-open in Summer 2010). Other signs extol the virtues of the Slaney River View (the place with broken tables and seats featured elsewhere on this blog); the Duffry Gate (which only now exists in folklore and history books) and not forgetting Abbey Square (a busy spot for traffic, a carpark and three recycling bins - and "The Singing Bird"!) Who are they trying to kid with these signs? Another refers tourists to the National 1798 Centre (really only fit for school tours and, unbelieveably, closed at weekends!) Come on people, wake up and smell the coffee!

Enniscorthy Castle is, supposedly, going to get a €600,000 refurbishment and re-open next summer but looking at the state of it that amount of money will be lost on such a project. Apart from the removal of the exhibits and the sighting of a few officials armed with theodolites, there is little sign of activity. The building is a Norman castle and not built with the intention of displaying historic items that need a special (dry) environment. During its last refurbishment, at the outset of the 20th century, the structure was saved but some ghastly 'improvements' were made - large windows in the front gable being the worst of these. These windows are now finished in brown PVC - surely the only Norman castle ever to have such features? The question is, is a proper job to be made of the restoration or a mickey mouse one - good enough for country people - as the OPW might see it?

The plain fact is that the castle needs to be restored as a castle and the museum rehoused in another building - perhaps the nearby Castle Ballroom - also defunct? Serious time and money needs to be spent on turning back the years at Enniscorthy Castle with the 'improvements' of recent centuries removed. The end result should be a showpiece Norman castle as it would have been in its heyday.
Click on the pictures to enlarge.
Comments please!!






Wednesday, September 9, 2009

TIDY TOWN my ....xxxxxxx!


A quick walk about the town this morning confirms my opinions about the Tidy Towns report: the broken public seating referred to elsewhere in this blog remains, the playground near the Riverside Park Hotel remains covered in graffiti, the dirty unpainted public seating on the Promenade remains (also the metal seating on the Shannon Quay), four lifebelts are missing (+ one that is interfered with and cannot be used), the very attractive graffiti that greets you as you enter the town by the old bridge remains, a former neon advertising at the bottom of Slaney Street - pictured here - has been derelict and dangerous with broken glass ALL SUMMER and is the ideal height for a toddler to put their hand into. The river was too high this morning to see how many trollies belonging to Super Valu (the Tidy Town competition sponsors) were in the river but it is usually 3/4! These are just a few of my pet gripes - if I had the time and energy I'm sure that there are plenty more. Incidentally, the Castle Museum is as likely to reopen in 2010 as Wexford putting a man on the moon!
UPDATE: 16/9/09 - The offending sign pictured here has been removed in the last few days - could it be someone in officialdom reads this blog or is it just a coincidence? I suspect the latter.
According to County Manager, Eddie Breen, quoted in today's Enniscorthy Guardian the Castle Museum is definitely going to reopen next Summer - don't hold your breath!


Tidy Towns Competition 2009 Adjudication Report

Welcome to the TidyTowns Programme for 2009 and thank you for the Completed Entry Form together with annotated map, details of your walking trails and photographs. The report on Accessibility Works was also of interest. A town of steep hills and in the case of Vinegar, historic hills as well. The central square bounded by the Town Hall was reminiscent of a continental town concourse and was delightfully busy and bustling on the day of adjudication. The bilingual street signs are excellent. Sadly the castle is now closed for renovations.

Hopefully it will be available again soon. Traffic volumes around the bridge and roundabout area are very high and intrusive. The decision to pedestrianise the hill is welcomed as are the new parking areas over looking the Slaney and within the new shopping centre. The latter using the fine old mill for this purpose. The former had a number of large planters still awaiting soil and flowers. The parking bays on the Railway Square have helped the neat presentation of this area as have the new flower beds to the railway wall. The work done on the Promenade which is also in part pedestrianised adds a delightful new amenity to the central town area.

Enniscorthy has a number of fine public buildings, historic, civil and ecclesiastical, which are being well presented and used in a manner appropriate to present day requirements. The new Saint John’s Community Hospital is a splendid building. Are there plans for the former building, which appeared to be vacated? The Garda Station and library nearby continue to be suitably neat and orderly. The 1798 Centre looked well but was flying just one flag on its available polls. The flying of flags is one of the least expensive enhancements one can recommend, bringing colour and movement to the scene in an instance.

The cathedral is a fine building in a suitable setting, well set off by the grassed area to its foreground. The small scale mural on the Auction Rooms gable end caught the eye as did the colourful Mill Street Fish Shop and Cedarwood Kitchens. The much improved wall at Bellfield GAA Complex was admired but do finish the task by putting to rights the entrance area to the extreme right. It appears that the very tall old mill at the New Ross road is in course of demolition.

The major work in progress on the Fair Green was noted. We look forward to viewing the improvements in due course with eager anticipation. The picnic area on Mill Road and the Slaney Viewing Point on the Dublin Road were noted but would be enhanced by nearby parking areas. The planting on the New Ross Road was pleasant and the boat at the junction caught the eye. The grotto high on Nunnery Road was colourful while the nearby roundabout on the Dublin Road was very impressive. Vinegar Hill is now endowed with a fine layout of monuments. Well done. Sadly the Peace Tree planted a few years ago has not survived. The area shows the circular signs of inappropriate driving use.

Well done on the work to the Slaney side cycle and walking path. This has opened up a delightful area where contact with the birds and wildlife of the valley is much more probable. The slipway here is also convenient for river users. Walking is facilitated by the newly installed Slí na Slánta route. The encouragement of wild life and bird life is of course at the core of this category but the task of encouraging interest in the topic is equally important. Have you considered seeking to establish small nature habitats within the grounds of the schools for example? Discuss the options with a local bird life enthusiast or consult the Wild Life Officer attached to the Office of Public Works for ideas as to how to proceed.

Litter management continues to be a strong point in that there were many suitable litter bins around Enniscorthy. The daily litter sweep is clearly having a good effect. The main areas were largely and mostly clear of litter but it continues to be a difficulty in some minor streets and housing areas. The newly established residents associations here will no doubt improve matters going forward. The arrival of the dog littering bins on the promenade is a welcome development.
Many elements and factors call to be considered in this ‘catch all’ category. A great deal of your town projects a neat and well ordered appearance. It is the unfortunate nature and duty of reports such as these to comment on the few items that jar, despite the overall good impression made by Enniscorthy. The entrance area to the splendid Rugby grounds need attention, the wall is cracked in a few places and also carried an amount of graffiti. Keeping to the sporting theme, the presentation of the Greyhound stadium also needs attention. Do ensure that following the use of chemical control of weeds, the dead vegetation is removed. The absence of grit and spoil at sides of roads is a delight and the removal of gum from streets while slow and costly is to be welcomed.

The location and presentation standard of your bottle bank in the long stay car park might be seen to be somewhat remote, but has the advantage of offering convenient parking. The signs on the car park give the area an unhelpful rundown feeling. Continue your efforts to have a proper and well sited facility installed soon.

Well done to the schools who have taken the difficult but worthwhile journey and secured their green flag status. This section of the competition is also about encouraging a change of mind-set in respect of waste minimisation. Literature is available from Wexford County Council and elsewhere to help individual households and the community at large to firstly reduce usage of scarce and expensive energy, reusing items where found appropriate and recycling materials wherever possible, so that the remaining amount of waste carried to landfill is minimised. Please consider staging an information evening on these and related topics such as home composting for example.

The large estates at Andy Doyle Close had a varied level of presentation both of individual houses and communal grassed areas. The Tort na Greine is a very new estate where the grassed area to the front has not yet been suitable prepared for planting and display. Rectory Heights featured a number of excellent gardens while Riverwood Estate was well kept and featured a fine name plate in stone.
The new residents associations formed during the year should lead in time to an inter-estate competition, a practice that else where has led to a general heightening of standards in all those estates who take part. The pilot use of willows for fencing in Convent Road will continue to be watched with interest and certainly wished success.

The main Dublin approach road is very well presented, wide, with suitable cut verges and some tree planting. Some attention is directed however to the crash barrier which has suffered some damaging impacts over the years. The Wexford approach along the picturesque Slaney provides excellent views of the Castle. Pleasant to report that all of the trees planted here have survived and are growing well. Name plates, direction signs and speed limit signs are clean and visible. The new surface of the Promenade is an improvement and opens this appealing river side access to many more passing motorists. Traffic volumes are intrusive at times but the one way system is a large aid to enhanced traffic flow rates.

A sizeable town with - it is now apparent - the will, tenacity and resolve to identify, deal with and overcome the many obstacles which marred it just a few short years ago. Your progress since this adjudicater last visited Enniscorthy, can only be described as robust and speaks volumes for your capacity to work together to achieve substantial improvements, a trajectory which it seems you are destined to continue. To everyone and each agency associated with this year’s entry our best thanks and applause. Please keep up the good work and you are wished well in next year’s competition.

The above is the official report lifted, today, from the TidyTowns website. Every year when the competition results are released I ask myself, is the town that I live in? The report must be done by a blind man on a galloping horse! Anybody taking the time to walk the town properly would see that the above report bears little relation to reality.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The tomb of the Unknown Plumber


Surely there can be few works of modern public sculpture in Ireland as meaningless, and visually intrusive, as that which occupies the area between the Seamus Rafter statue and the new bridge at Enniscorthy? The piece entitled "The Singing Bird" was erected in 1993 at considerable cost. The 'sculptor' was the late Conor Fallon (1939-2007). It is not just that this pile of twisted stainless steel pipework, which incorporates a rarely working fountain, is offensive in its own right but it also obscures the fine statue to local patriot Seamus Rafter which was erected in 1958.


Seamus Rafter was the IRA commandant for Wexford during the 1916 Rising, and regardless of your polititics the statue is of historical significance. The Seamus Rafter statue has form and is understandable to the intellectually challenged person in the street - such as your truly - whereas the "Singing Bird" only looks its best when local kids have added washing powder to the fountain and then it resembles a demented washing machine!


This piece from the Wexford People on the occasion of the artists death says it all.


Wednesday October 10 2007


Distinguished sculptor Conor Fallon has died at the age of 68. The former secretary of the Royal Hibernian Academy was brought up in Wexford and he made a lasting mark on the county. His Singing Bird' is a landmark in Enniscorthy.
However, the artist was never happy with the way the steel structure was assembled and presented beside the new bridge in Enniscorthy.
Indeed, he told this paper last year that he found the end result embarrassing, adding that he would prefer to have it pulled down.


No matter how much this thing cost surely it is about time it was removed - the Town Council first discussed the issue more than two years ago but it still remains. If they are looking for volunteers to help pull it down you can count me in!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Only in Ireland?




Make of this what you will - two leading Enniscorthy businesses, one an insurance company the other a firm of solicitors - both of whom seem completely oblivious to the dangerous entrances to their respective businesses. Can't see the wood for the trees? Still when somebody breaks an ankle on their steps they should be well placed to deal with the claim!


A shop with no name from a town with no shame.


This business premises, run by a well known local entrepreneur, has never had a name on the outside and despite stocking expensive clothing is never cleaned from one end of the year to the next. Indeed the windows are so filthy that it is hard to see in through them! It is located in Templeshannon - a few yards from Treacy's Hotel - God only knows what sort of impression it must give to visitors.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Hayes Pub - a Welcome Oasis!


A recent problem with viewing a Magners League rugby match in my usual watering hole led to my trying out Hayes Pub in Court Street, Enniscorthy, and what a pleasant experience it was. Having recently changed hands, the pub has been tastefully refurbished and is now open daily from 5pm - in the past it was extremely hard to find it open! The bar retains its atmospheric snug area and offers a level of privacy rare to find these days. Three large screen TVs (in three different rooms), put on by request, ensure that everbody gets a chance to watch the match of their choice. The service is friendly and a nice pint of Guinness is served here - my only criticism is the lack of Kit Kat! If you're in the area give it a try.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

MORE OF THE SAME!



Took a wander down to the Slaney early this morning and noted that there are now four lifebelts missing and one that is unuseable! Incidentally after the recent heavy rain the river was in full flood.




This attractive, but defaced, seat is located less than twenty feet from the UDC offices and this very dangerous footpath just across the road. The local elections are coming but the same tired old faces are putting themselves forward again - is there any hope for the future???
UPDATE: September 2009 - the broken glass blocks in the pavement have been filled in.

Monday, April 27, 2009

When is a fire hazzard not a fire hazzard?



Seemingly if it's in Enniscorthy! Some months ago a training exercise by the Enniscorthy fire brigade found that a tree - pictured here - blocked their access to the rear entrance of St.Mary's CBS. At the time it was highlighted in the local newspapers but today (27/4/09) the tree remains in place. It is not a thing of any great beauty and its absence would not be noticed by most people but what on earth on the local authorities waiting for, as five minutes work with a chainsaw would see the matter rectified?




Near the tree is a pedestrian crossing for school children and one of the warning lights is obscured by branches of the same row of trees. Talk about a lacksidasical attitude to safety!
UPDATE: September 2009 - the tree has finally been felled - hurrah!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

It's not all gloom in Enniscorthy!

Some positive news - at last! The campaign to save and restore the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy is beginning to gather momentum and this week builders were noted moving scaffolding into the building - presumably to start work on the urgently needed roof repairs - and the restoration committee have launched a website to promote the project. Although in its very early stages of development the website looks promising and should be a useful tool once completed.

http://enniscorthyathenaeum.com/

Friday, March 27, 2009

Enniscorthy - a town with no shame part V.




Enniscorthy - a town with no shame part IV.







Enniscorthy - a town with no shame part III.







Enniscorthy - a town with no shame - part II.











Enniscorthy - a town with no shame?




INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this blog is to highlight the many problems in the Sunny South East including unemployment, crime, transport, urban decay and shame the politicians and local authorities into carrying out their responsibilities. For obvious reasons I will remain anonymous as I have no wish to draw down the wrath of the powers that be on my head.

As a starting off point I include a selection of photographs of my home town - Enniscorthy - taken earlier today. Given that the town has so many natural amenities and fine buildings, it is all the more depressing that it presents such an unsightly appearance. Let me know what you think.