I’ve just found out that I’m featured on the front page of Daily Ireland today, as part of a follow up to their story yesterday about trouble within the SDLP. It is in connection to comments I have made in the past, and the ongoing campaign I have supported to see Fianna Fail organise as a party of a 32 county basis.

On this website, I try to focus on issues relating purely to Letterkenny as much as I can. In other places, for example on the Ogra Fianna Fail website, I have discussed in detail the benefits that Fianna Fail could receive, and the benefits it could bring to the political process both in the North and the South.

I am an ardent believer that it would benefit both Fianna Fail as a party, and the process in the North, for FF to become actively involved. There is a large constituency which has become disenfranchised with the SDLP, and doesn’t support the politics of Sinn Fein, that is being left without representation. I also believe FF has a lot to learn from getting back to being the “underdogs” in the political process. I am under no illusions- I know it would be a long, difficult fight for FF to gain popularity in the North, but I believe that would be extremely worthwhile for the party as an organisation.

These views are strongly supported within Fianna Fail, most notably within Ogra Fianna Fail. I’d also like to mention the contribution of the Eamon DeVelera cumann of Fianna Fail in Derry, organised by Louis Bradley, which has visited numerous Fianna Fail events and with whom I have met a number of times. I’d also like to acknowledge David McCann, who has shown great commitment to seeing FF organised in and around Belfast. I have spoken at an Ogra FF information evening in Queens University in Belfast (an event which was covered in the press here in Donegal) and I know from having attended the University of Ulster in Derry that there would be much support there for FF.

The bulk of the FF membership supports these ideals, as do many in power within the party. The reason for not organising in the North has been that the party did not want to destabilise the peace process by upsetting the delicate balance between the SDLP and SF. That balance is shifting, and the gap between the two parties is widening. I believe the time has come for definitive action from Fianna Fail on this issue.

I’ll post a link to the story here when it becomes available on the Daily Ireland website. If you have anything to say on it, you can leave a comment on this post.

Update:The article is now online at Daily Ireland’s website : Mayor calls on FF to organise in North

Update: Daily Ireland has a follow-up piece on the article above: FF Northern Committee not ‘moving issue forward’

I’ve been away for the last few weeks, hence the lack of updates on this website. I’d like to thank Deputy Mayor, Cllr Ciaran Brogan for looking after my Mayoral deputies while I was away, and I’d also like to again offer my congratulations to Ciaran and his wife Lorraine on the arrival of their first child.

Last night’s meeting of Letterkenny Town Council saw a number of issues discussed. I had two motions on the agenda, both of which where unanimously supported:

1: That this council work with Donegal County Council, local schools and other groups, to develop and promote an awareness campaign on ways to conserve water effectively in the home and in businesses.
There can be no doubt that we are having difficulties with water supply, and sporadic outages, in the Letterkenny area. Donegal County Council have comprehensive plans in place to deal with this by developing the water supply network, and bringing new water sources on stream, but these developments will only come into effective in a timescale of months and years. A more immediate help to the problem would be to improve the way we use water. For example, one extended period of outage in the Lismonaghan was caused by a hose being left running and a tap left on.

There are a number of simple steps which can be taken to drastically reduce the amount of water used in the home. The best run-down I have seen to date is on the excellent TapTips website from local authorities in the Dublin area.

I hope we can work with the local schools to develop a comprehensive programme, which will also involve the media and working with businesses.

2: That this council meet with the HSE to discuss the provision of primary care services in Letterkenny
I’ve been contacted recently by a number of people, mainly new to the town, who have been having difficulty getting registered with a GP. I asked that the Town Council meet with representatives of the HSE to discuss the situation, and see if there is anything we can do to help recruit more doctors to the area.

Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who is a member of the HSE board for the North West, informed the meeting that the HSE is currently moving towards a new system of Primary Care delivery in the Letterkenny area, and has completed negotiations with Doctors on this matter. There remain, however, difficulties with the quantity of GP Doctors in the town.