About our Organisation

BALLINAMORE AREA COMMUNITY COUNCIL LTD Ballinamore Area Community was established in March 1975 through the involvement of several individuals and groups in the area who were generally involved in community development. Groups involved included the Credit Union while prominent among individuals involved were the late Canon John A Young, then  Catholic Curate in Ballinamore and the late Josie Martin, then County Development Officer.  The Steering Committee set up decided that the Council would consist of eighteen persons, three elected by a general ballot in each of the six parishes- Aughnasheelin, Aughawillan, Ballinamore, Corraleehan, Drumreilly and Fenagh.  An elaborate electoral process was set up over a weekend in March and a ballot was taken in all six parishes.

 

A major count was held in the Vocational School on the following Monday night supervised by the Local Authority and the seats were filled under the P R system.   The first Community Council elected Mr Pat Conefrey  N T  of Drumreilly as Chairman and it’s term of office was three years.  Subsequent Councils were elected at local meetings in each of the Parishes.   In 1993 Funds were made available to Ballinamore, Drumkeerin, Drumshanbo and Arigna to set up small Enterprise Centres as a result of the recommendations of the Task Force set up to deal with the economic aftermath of the close of the Arigna Mines.  One of the funding parties required that recipients be incorporated in order to receive their contributions so Ballinamore Area Community Council became a Company Limited by Guarantee in late 1993. The existing members at the time became the Board of Directors. In 1997 the Company received Charitable Status from the Revenue Commissioners.   The Community Council has been affiliated to Muintir na Tire since it was established. It has also, from time to time, been associated with other organisations as required. In 1985 Leitrim County Council conferred Recognised Status on Ballinamore Area Community Council in accordance with qa provision of the then 1941 Local Government Act.

 

Enterprise Centre

In 1994 the Community Council constructed a small Enterprise Centre     on the Golf Links Road availing of funds from the organisations dealing with the effects on local economies arising from  the closure of Arigna Mines.  The building was officially opened by An Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds T D, in June 1994. The Enterprise Centre currently has a number of long term tenants and maintains a low rent regime in order to stimulate economic activity. The income from the rents helped to meet the cost of constructing the Sports Hall.  When economic circumstances make it possible for potential buyers to borrow money the Community Council will be willing to sell the facility giving first choice of purchase to existing tenants.

 

 

 

Sports Hall

In 1994 the then Minister of State at the Department of education with responsibility for Sport allocated £300,000 to Ballinamore Area Community Council for the construction of a dual purpose Community Sports Hall and School Gymnasium.  The Council had been canvassing support for this for a number of years. The Bishop of Kilmore, the late Dr Francis McKiernan, donated a portion of ground near St Felim’s which had been part of the old CIE property purchased at the time St Felim’s was established in the early sixties. Some addition land for the site was also purchased from a local farmer.

For various reasons it was not possible to commence construction until the autumn of 1999. A further £100,000 was received from the first Programme for Peace & Reconciliation and £27,000 was raised by a local collection. The Sports Hall was completed during 2000 and officially opened by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T D, In November 2000.  Loans from Western Development Commission, Clann Credo and Ballinamore Credit Union enabled the task to be completed and repayment of these was from revenue. The cost of the building was over £700,000.

Poll An Eas

 

The Community purchased the natural amenity known as Poll an Eas in Aughnasheelin a number of years ago. With the assistance of the Local Authority this has been developed into an attractive picnic venue. It does not have commercial value to us nor is it a centre of cost. The public are encouraged to use it’s facilities as a place for relaxation, a secluded area beside the river.

 

 

CHILDRENS PLAYGROUND

 

In 2006 a Childrens Playground was established on the Community Council site adjacent the Sportshall through the co-operation of the Ballinamore Business Association which sourced the finance and Leitrim County Council which undertook maintenance. This is a very popular amenity and is very much in use.

PROPOSED HALL/SCOUT DEN

 

It is now proposed to construct a small hall (23m x 12m)  beside the Sports Hall on the same site and parallel to the gable and about six feet from it. It will serve as a Scout Den for the local Scouts as well as a refreshment and meeting facility for our Sports Hall users, particularly during tournaments. There will also be additional toilet facilities, a small kitchen and a store room for the Scouts.  This is expected to cost over €200,000 and it is proposed to finance it through grant aid and revenue. This little Hall, when constructed, should complete our building requirements. It will be for the appropriate use of sports hall patrons and groups using the adjacent sportsground as well as providing a home for the Scouts.

PROPOSED REORGANISATION

It is proposed to reorganise membership of the Community Council through amendment to the relevant Articles of Association in order to provide a stronger and more vibrant organisation to face the considerable challenges of the next number of years. Towards this end it has been decided to hold a meeting to which will be invited all groups in the area registered with Leitrim Community Forum to obtain their views on the best way forward. This meeting will be held in Ballinamore Community Centre during the second half of September.  There may be additional consultations with other parties before the amendments are drafted and put in place in accordance with the requirements of the Articles. CURRENT ISSUES The Community Council have in recent times compiled submissions in relation to the proposed increase in Third  Level Education costs for Leitrim residents by the return of “fees”.  There have also been submissions in relation to Public Transport, Road Policies and Postal Services. These continue to be major issues along with the recent surge in the number of break ins in the area and the threat to the safety of people, particularly older people.  There is a general and continued objection to the erosion of services in rural areas and the transfer of related facilities from smaller to larger towns and cities.  There will be more about these matters anon.

THAT WAS THEN…………….

Back in February 2008 then Transport Minister Noel Dempsey published a consultation document on Sustainable Public Transport called “2020 Vision” and called for Submissions from interested parties.  The following Submission was among those made and it was published with others on the Department website.  Nothing further happened in relation to this matter.

 

At that time Ballinamore was served six days a week by the Goldline Ulsterbus to Longford at around noon and back around 4.45.p.m. as well as a bus from Carrigallen to Enniskillen each Thursday morning returning in the early afternoon and a Mohill to Sligo bus each Friday and Saturday. Now the Ulsterbus is no more and the other two services were mentioned for closure some time back.

 

In the light of these developments it might be useful to publish on this website the Sustainable Transport Submission which was also presented at the time to Leitrim Community Forum.

 

 

BALLINAMORE AREA COMMUNITY COUNCIL LTD

Affiliated to Muintir na Tire

SUSTAINABLE

PUBLIC

TRANSPORT

CONSULTATION

SUBMISSION

SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT 2008

 

The reason why the issue of public transport in the Republic of Ireland and in relation to the island of Ireland must be addressed and acted upon now as a matter of urgency are as follows-

 

• The level of carbon emission  from transport in the Republic of Ireland needs to be stabilised and then reduced.
• Given the current price of oil and the fact that increases are in freeflow the cost of travel will continue to impinge negatively on the cost of living.
• On a longer term basis it appears that the availability of oil will continue to raise problems.
• Despite an annual state subsidy of over three hundred million euro there are areas of the country and tax paying citizens where there is an inadequate or virtually non existant public transport system.
• With the proposed developments in the position of some essential medical services at certain central locations it is essential that those in need have available to them a public transport network which will get them to those facilities.
• Elderly free travel pass holders, many of them retired tax payers at high levels, are deprived of civil rights if they cannot use public transport to access locations such as the Capital City.

 

The benchmark of public transport availability lies in the ability of the user to access the Capital City at a reasonably early hour of the morning, conclude business and return home that evening.

There are various forms of public transport requirements. These can be generally listed as-

(a)  Internal urban transport services   (b)  Inter City Rail/Expressway Bus  (c)  Link Transport to enable

persons not on direct line for (b) to get to/from boarding

 

Point   (d)  Local Services (mainly bus) outside urban areas  (e)  Social Transport.

In relation to (a) it is mildly surprising that Dublin Bus which I believe operates around 1150 buses required a subsidy of eighty million euro last year. This is in addition to the substantial capital expenditure in recent years on the provision of LUAS and other internal transport services. I do not have a problem with the principle involved provided that other less densely populated areas are not deprived of basic services which will also in financial terms be loss making. The substantial population growth in suburban areas of Dublin and other major centres of population does require continuing expansion of route numbers and services. This must be done, where necessary involving the private sector under strict conditions, without denying basic resources to others.

The Inter City rail system has been expanded and upgraded in recent times. For example, there are now eight services per day between Sligo and Dublin and this also caters for a large work commuting element from Longford onwards. At a rate of around twenty two euro return from Dromod to Dublin Connolly this provides unbeatable value for money. It is imperative that additional link services be put in place to enable more people to access this service without having to drive long journeys to a station or incurring the huge cost of taxi/hackney services. We note that the Exchequer subsidised Iarnrod Eireann by over a hundred and ninty four million euro (€194m) last year. It is imperative that the benefits of this be as widely distributed as possible.

Bus Eireann Expressway services provide good value for money where they exist. Some areas are very well served. Cavan Town has an hourly bus each way to Dublin O Connell St from very early morning to late evening. This and other similar trunk services might again provide the basis for link services . Bus Eireann which also provides school services received over thirty one million euro (€31m) in subsidy last year.

There are some local (town to town) services provided by Bus Eireann throughout the country. These are useful for shopping trips and , where appropriate, visits to Hospitals etc.In the case of Leitrim local services to Sligo (Hospital), Enniskillen, Cavan and Longford(Dublin, Galway, the South)  would be most popular. In  some limited number of cases these services would also provide link transport to enable patrons link with Dublin from Cavan and Longford and Belfast from Enniskillen. Manorhamilton would have links with Sligo and Donegal which would also enable users to access Galway.  The downside is that those local services do not, for the most part, operate more than once or twice a week.

Social transport provision is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Local community companies have been provided with funds to provide local services pitched at the elderly and disadvantaged. These are usually to the local town so that social welfare and other post office related transactions can be undertaken as well as medical, financial and shopping activities.   These are an important contributions to the provision of local mobility for the less well off and have a major and increasing role to play in this area as a vital part of the national public transport profile.

THE BALLINAMORE EXPERIENCE

From the 1890’s to 1958 Ballinamore had rail service on the narrow guage line which joined the old Great Northern at Belturbet and the Great Western at Dromod. In Queen Victoria’s time it was possible to travel by public transport to and from Dublin on the same day. During the first decade of last century there were two uptrain and two downtrain opportunities so that a person here could go to and from Dublin, conduct substantial business and return home that evening.

 

When branch lines were being closed by CIE in the 1950’s the narrow guage here was closed in 1959 and replaced by a bus connection via Mohill to Dromod Station. At the time the CIE Chairman, the late Tod Andrews, assured the people that this bus service would continue. There were at that time two uptrains and two downtrains on the Sligo/Connolly route and the bus served both acting as a local bus as well as link transport.

 

In the late 1980s this bus service was removed. Ballinamore people must now drive the seventeen miles to Dromod. The only link is, by accident, the Ulsterbus Londonderry to Longford bus which leaves Ballinamore at 12.10.p.m. and returns at 16.40. It could connect with the 14.14 train leaving Longford and reaching Connolly at 15.57 and the return could carry passengers from the Connolly 11.58 departure. There is a clear requirement for an earlier bus to connect with the 0.7.58 a.m. uptrain  from Dromod (08.14 from Longford) and one of the Connolly/Sligo or Connolly/Longford trains which depart at and after17.05 from Connolly.

 

LEITRIM NEEDS

 

Carrick on Shannon, Dromod and the areas adjacent the Sligo/Dublin N4 have the benefits of the eight trains a day Inter City  and a frequent Express bus service. The Ballinamore needs have been already set out already and these would cover Mohill and, possibly, Keshcarrigen and Carrigallen.  There is need for link transport to the capital city from Kinlough, Manorhamilton, Dromahaire, Drumkeerin and Drumshanbo at the least. Some of those can link with Sligo, others with Carrick on Shannon.  Links are also possible to access the frequent Cavan/Dublin service or even the Donegal/Dublin (via Cavan) service.

 

There are various combinations but the end result must always be the same. That is to ensure that the citizen can conveniently access public transport to get to the capital city either directly or via a location which currently has appropriate service. While access to places such as Belfast and other Northern Ireland locations can be accessed from Cavan or via Enniskillen as well as Galway, Athlone, the South etc from places such as Longford where current connections exist it must be remembered that all places including airport and boat can be accessed from the Capital City.

 

WHAT MUST BE DONE

 

The Local Authority must be effectively involved in assessing the needs of each area within  their remit. They may also be involved in working out  and  even in the operation of the solution. Each Local Authority should have a transport officer.

 

There is no reason as to why the private sector which has a great store and variety of public service vehicles should not be involved under licence and supervision  in providing some of the necessary services.

 

Citizens, many of them current and retired high level taxpayers, are deprived of their full rights under the current situation, This must be remedied. Possession of a free travel pass must come to mean something more for many people living away from  current public transport.

 

There are too many cars on our roads. These include cars used for social purposes sporting events, entertainment etc. The level of usage here will become more tolerable if the number can be reduced through additional public transport for general business use.  This will reduce costs, carbon emissions where we face external pressure to achieve reductions, dependence on oil which is becoming prohibitively more expensive and in  due time more scarce. The public must be educated and encouraged to use public transport.

 

There must be a root and branch examination of the needs in the area of link transport and these must be addressed as a matter of priority.

 

There is a need to examine the possibility of moving (or restoring) more road freight to the railways. There is also a substantial need to speed up the reopening of the full Sligo/Limerick railway line as a contribution to our very weak north/south direction  railway network.

 

Issues which will arise in the non too distant future will include congestion charges ,particularly in central Dublin, and road pricing.  There will be less need for either if this matter is promptly addressed.  Carbon taxes would have to be extremely high to have any effect. In November 1974 the price of a gallon of petrol was increased by an additional 20p tax (app 40%) and even this did not have any major longterm effect.  Carbon taxes are currently being increased daily on the world oil markets and this will be enough for the moment.

 

Carbon taxation could be used to finance better and more comprehensive public transport.  Without it such taxation which will effect everybody would be immoral if there was not a public transport alternative.

 

It is to be noted that some local airports within the State receive government subsidy (total over two and a quarter million euro) as part of a public service transport remit. This entire area must be also be looked at as part of the transport equation so as to ensure broad balance in the area of public subsidy.

 

End

 

PADRAIG GRIFFIN

Hon Secretary

Area Community Council

Ballinamore

Co Leitrim