Keogh elected chair of Roscommon's Athlone Municipal District

By David Flynn

At the AGM last week of Roscommon County Council’s Athlone Municipal District, Fianna Fail’s Cllr John Keogh was selected as Cathaoirleach for the year ahead.

The six South Roscommon members highlighted the Lough Funshinagh flooding situation as a priority for the year ahead.

Cllr Keogh was proposed and seconded respectively by his colleagues, Cllr John Naughten (FG) and Cllr Emer Kelly (Ind) of the alliance which controls Roscommon County Council.

Fine Gael councillor Domnick Connolly was elected Leas-Cathaoirleach of the municipal district having been proposed by Independent Cllr. Laurence Fallon and seconded by Cllr Naughten.

On taking up the Cathaoirleach’s position, Cllr Keogh complimented the work of Cllr Fallon on Lough Funshinagh.

“That will remain a priority issue to all the councilors going forward, to try and get that issue sorted out as soon as possible,” he said.

“The people of Rahara, Ballagh and Curraghboy area have suffered immeasurably over a long number of years at this stage, and we know what the solution is, and it has to be delivered and I hope all stakeholders will get around the table including the Friends of the Irish Environment, who have brought the injunction in the first place.”

Cllr Keogh said he hopes they will visit and see the devastation that has taken place at Lough Funshinagh, not just on the people, but also on the habitat of the environment there.

“I’d like to commend the work of Roscommon County Council, who have gone above and beyond there, but the reality is the injunction there is the obstacle and that has to be lifted,” he said.

Cllr Fallon said about Lough Funshinagh being close to all the hearts of the councillors, and that he’d like to thank them for their ongoing support, because it is costing time, money and effort.

“It’s at a very critical stage now and we need to understand that it (the water) is at a new level of at least a half metre higher than at any other time on this date,” he said.

“The year is half gone and we will effectively have a civil war about whether the water floods at Ballagh or Curraghboy. Huge work is going on nationally to find a solution but because of the magnitude of the problem, emergency powers may need to be looked at."

He said he supported the call for the Friends of the Irish Environment to be invited to the area, but added he wouldn't be holding his breath on that.

Cllr Domnick Connolly, who was re-elected to the council this month, after losing out in the election in 2019, said he agreed with all that was said about Lough Funshinagh, and that it is in a “terrible state,”.

“There is devastation for the people who live there and have farms there and it’s diabolical what has gone on and it has gone too far,” said the Fine Gael councillor. “The front of Mrs. Beattie’s house is devastating for her to look out and see what has been done. I will be working tirelessly with the other members on this.”

Cllr Naughten said the issue needs to be continuously highlighted and at least some of the excess water needs to be taken out of there before next winter.

“I know Cllr Fallon is directly involved in this and we need to get a permanent solution to it,” said the Fine Gael member.

Independent Cllr Kelly said that it was imperative that an urgent solution was progressed.

Cllr Tony Ward, Independent said that he knows some people badly affected in relation to flooding at Lough Funshinagh.

“It’s ongoing for the last nine or ten years, and there is no resolution and the hands of the local authority are tied, and if you are living there, you have to put up with the pumps running 24/7 and that’s unreal and has to have a huge effect on the people,” said Cllr Ward.

“People have land underwater that was never underwater before. You are talking about 140 acres or more.”

He said that he has put up a motion before the county council about there being compensation for people who have lost income as a result of the situation.

“People can’t afford the luxury of another year of it and now every second day there is rain, and this problem is not going to go away,” said Cllr Ward.

“I hope there will be some form of leeway for the people who are trying to live and farm in the area.”