Local Fianna Fail TD, Frank O’ Rourke, has highlighted how public transport can alleviate the pressure of student accommodation in Maynooth by opening up adjoining towns, through public transport, to the rent-a-room scheme. This can be achieved by providing the Bus Service linking Naas to Maynooth via Rathcoffey and Clane, which he has campaigned for over the last number of months.

‘In recent months, I have campaigned for the provision of a Bus Service linking Naas to Maynooth via Clane and Rathcoffey, which would provide connectivity between these commuter towns and become part of the catchment area for students seeking accommodation, particularly under the rent-a-room scheme, which also brings benefits to home owners in these areas.’

‘The National Transport Authority has confirmed to me that they are now considering providing an orbital bus route serving Naas, Clane, Rathcoffey, Maynooth and Blanchardstown.  Following meetings I have had with constituents in Maynooth, Clane, Rathcoffey and Naas, I have submitted a large number of signatures supporting this proposed service.’

‘This service would connect these commuter towns, provide access to NUI Maynooth, better access to Naas, Clane and Blanchardstown Hospitals and, I believe, increase the student accommodation capacity.’

‘As I have highlighted before, linking Naas, Clane, Rathcoffey Maynooth and Blanchardstown would address one of the missing public transport services. Naas, Clane, Maynooth and Blanchardstown are all key employment towns, four towns are key retail centres, Maynooth has a University and three of the towns have hospitals. Although important, Public Transport is not just about linking commuter towns to Dublin but connecting these commuters towns, as we have now in place between Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth, is also important,’ stated Deputy O’Rourke.

‘In recent months, following representations that I made earlier this year, new morning Kilcock Dublin Bus Eireann services have been introduced, at 6.30am and 8.00am, a location is now proposed for a park and ride facility for bus commuters in Kilcock, and improved Dublin Bus services for Celbridge commuters , on the Route 67 and 67X, have been put in place.’

‘Once we achieve a regular, reliable, cost effective and inclusive public transport service, we will attract more people to use it and thereby make it more efficient. I will continue to campaign for better public transport for users,’ concluded  Deputy O’Rourke.

Kildare North Fianna Fail TD Frank O’ Rourke has said that Kildare should benefit to the tune of €380,000 from the recently announced Town and Village Renewal Scheme by the Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys.

‘The Town and Village Renewal Scheme which the Minister announced last week aims to revitalise up to 200 towns and villages across the country. It is part of a €10 million scheme nationally and Kildare should benefit to the tune of €380k,’ stated Deputy O’ Rourke.

‘In total €380,000 will be available to Kildare and I have been in touch with Kildare County Council to ensure that we apply for the full allocation of funds that is available for Kildare.’

‘Kildare County Council can apply for grants for up to eight separate towns or village projects and submit outline plans to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in September for approval,’ stated Deputy O’ Rourke who has been in touch with Kildare County Council in relation to the scheme.  Funding will be released to Local Authorities once projects are approved by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The maximum grant for any single project is €100,000.‘

‘The funding available to Kildare County Council is designed to meet up to 85% of the total cost of each project. The Council will then be required to partner with local businesses and local communities to execute the projects.’

‘From the Department’s website, I understand that the type of projects to be funded under the scheme could include the following; increase the attractiveness of the town or village as a local commercial and social centre, and increase its sustainability as a place in which to live and work enhance its environment and amenity in the interests of residents, businesses and visitors; enhance the culture and local heritage assets of the town/village and promote tourism; tackle minor physical infrastructural deficits and land assembly issues. ‘

‘Many smaller towns in Kildare suffered significantly during the economic downturn and are still suffering from the aftermath. I know from discussing with business and community groups in towns like Kilcock, Clane, Prosperous, Johnstownbridge and Straffan that this scheme has the potential to bring benefit to the towns,’ concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

Local Fianna Fail TD, Frank O’Rourke, has welcomed the proposed location for a 100-space Park & Ride facility for Bus Commuters at Kilcock, following the decision of the National Transport Authority (NTA) to allocate €100,000 for a feasibility study for a Park & Ride facility on the M4 Corridor earlier this year.

I am delighted to see the pedestrian crossing on the Lucan Road at Ballyoulster in Celbridge installed. This is a project that I have been working on for some time at the request of many residents and members of the public so that safety would be improved at this location. The Lucan Road is an extremely busy and fast road and it was very difficult for people to cross the road safely to access Dublin Bus or for the many other amenities or services such as shops, schools etc.   It is very important that traffic management gets people to their destination safer and not faster.

This project was funded from  LPT money and I want to thank my colleagues for supporting this project which I pursued for funding. I am pleased to have worked also to deliver the bus stop shelter and the interconnecting footpath at Ballyoulster.

I want to thank Cllr Michael Coleman for supporting these projects, the Kildare Co Council Area Office for delivering on them and the members of the public who raised these issues with me at my weekly clinics.

I welcome the current road resurfacing works being carried out by Kildare County Council on the Lucan road in Celbridge and Green Lane road in Leixlip. I, along with Cllr Michael Coleman, have raised the necessity of having these works carried out as a result of the many requests we have received from the public and at my weekly clinics. It is important that we continue to invest in our roads infrastructure to ensure all road users have a high standard. These are excellent projects to have completed as both locations have high volumes of traffic. Michael and I will continue to lobby for further funding in order to have future improvements carried out to our road surface network. I want to thank the Area Office of Kildare County Council for carrying out these works and the people who raised these issues with me.

The contractor has reached “practical completion” of the New Temporary Community School on Friday 5th August. I want to congratulate the contractor, KWETB and all involved in having the school building completed on time and having it ready for the start of the new school year. This is very welcome news. The School is finished to the highest of standards.

Best of luck to the 150 Students who will be attending the New School!

Thanks to everyone for coming out and supporting the Street Fest today. It was a great day of entertainment for the family. The crowds were fantastic and the day stayed dry.
The stalls, activities, music, entertainment etc on the street was brilliant. I want to thank all the “great” volunteers, Street Fest Committee, Tidy Towns, sponsors, Garda, the Council, Parish Office, Civil Defence, St. John’s Ambulance and the businesses for helping make this day possible as without all of you it wouldn’t happen. This is another great community event.
Thanks again to everyone from Celbridge and the surrounding areas for coming along today.
We are already planning Street Fest 2017….!!!!!

Irish-owned paint brand Colourtrend has announced the rollout of an initiative with Kildare Local Community Development Committee as part of the Celbridge Heritage Town Enhancement Pilot Project. The front of some shops and houses on Celbridge’s Main Street are to be given an immediate paint refresh as part of the innovative Project.

The Project will see the shops and houses on Main Street painted in a colour scheme devised by Colourtrend’s design experts, in conjunction with the local property owners, and will be painted with Colourtrend’s top quality paints. The pilot will bring together the local community, local businesses and the private company to deliver a fresh look for the County Kildare town in a model that could work well for towns all over Ireland.

The initiative is part of Kildare’s Intergrated Services Progamme’s Tourism and Heritage Plan 2016—2020 where Celbridge is identified as the ‘Gateway to Ireland’s Ancient East’. The plan aims to develop Celbridge as a leading base for heritage-based tourism activities in Ireland.  Celbridge is a town rich in history as the birthplace of Arthur Guinness, the home of the Connolly family of Castletown House, the Grattan family and Jonathan Swift.  An attractive village centre is seen in the plan as paramount to enable Celbridge to benefit economically from visitors to nearby heritage sites.

At the launch today of the Project, Colourtrend’s Director of Sales and Marketing Liam Holland said: “It is fitting that this Project should start in Celbridge which has been Colourtrend’s home town for over 60 years now.  We’re very excited to be part of Kildare’s Town Enhancement Project and this pilot could be replicated by Councils all over Ireland to boost tourism and heritage opportunities.  Colourtrend is passionate about paint and committed to helping communities all over Ireland look their best.”

Celbridge TD Frank O’Rourke, who has been one of the champions behind the Project, said the aim of the plan is to develop the town as Ireland’s leading base for heritage based tourism activities.  “Kildare’s Tourism and Heritage Plan 2016—2020 rightly has Celbridge as the Gateway to Ireland’s Ancient East.  I’m absolutely delighted to see this Project finally get over the finish line. It’s been a priority of mine since being on the Council and I believe it will play a positive role in developing the town into a tourism hub, not only for the county but in the region. An idyllic town centre is important to enable Celbridge to benefit economically from the rich and diverse heritage of the locality.”

Co-ordinator of Kildare Local Community Development Committee’s Integrated Services Programme, Honor Griffin said: “The Integrated Services Programme welcomes the support from Colourtrend, Kildare County Council and Deputy O’Rourke in rolling out this pilot project.  The ISP undertook research in the Celbridge area to make a plan for Celbridge that would bring together community, state agency and voluntary groups to work on areas of development for the town.  A Tourism and Heritage Forum was established and in 2016 the Forum produced the ISP Tourism and Heritage Plan 2016—2020 ‘Celbridge, Gateway to Ireland’s Ancient East’. The aim of the plan is to build a resilient, diverse tourism segment into the local Celbridge economy – one that retains and creates jobs, supports the growth of local businesses and improves the area’s profile as a place to live, work and visit. By investing in this pilot scheme it shows that Celbridge is ‘Open for Business’.  An attractive village centre is paramount to enable Celbridge to benefit economically from visitors to nearby heritage sites.”

Chief Executive of Kildare County Council, Mr Peter Carey, said: “KCC is delighted to support this initiative which along with other measures will contribute to the enhancement of Celbridge. The Council is greatly encouraged by the positive response to the ISP and looks forward to working in partnership with the local community to develop and promote the town over the coming years.  We are delighted that local company Colourtrend is part of this pilot which the Council hopes will be the first of a number of phases to improve the appearance and visual impact of the town centre.”

Mr Holland of Colourtrend added: “We are extremely excited to see this work happening in Colourtrend’s home town. Working with the local community has been incredibly rewarding over the years and we’ve always had positive engagement with local businesses.  This is a welcome coming together for the town.”

Celbridge Street Fest is happening again this year….. It’s on Monday next the 1st August. Main Street closed from 2pm to 9pm. The street entertainment is even bigger and better than previous years if that’s possible…!!! There is a brilliant music line up which includes “Brush Shields” performing on the main stage and all of this will be complemented by our very own DJ Keith Shanley who will get the party going and keep the music playing as he does so brilliantly each year. Let’s hope the weather is kind and that you can all come along like previous years and enjoy a great family day’s entertainment.

Bunting and Flags going up tonight on the Main Street.  
Thanks to my committee colleagues Mick, Natalie, Marie, Sinead, Michael, Benny, and many more volunteers for helping make this happen. Thanks to the Council, Garda, Parish Office, Civil Defence, St.John Of Gods Ambulance, Tidy Towns, CBA, Business’s and our sponsors which is named on our “Street Fest” Facebook page.
Look forward to seeing you all on Monday next and thanks to you all for your support.