Sinn Féin Vice President Mary Lou McDonald to attend public meeting in Bray

Sinn Fein vice president Mary Lou McDonald will be the guest speaker
at a public meeting in the Esplanade Hotel, Bray tomorrow evening,
Thursday 15th November @8pm. She will outline Sinn Féin's alternative
to austerity and what ordinary people and communities can do to effect
change.

Speaking ahead of the visit Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady said "We
are delighted to have Mary Lou McDonald in Wicklow on Thursday, she
will be our guest speaker at a public meeting in the Esplanade Hotel
in Bray entitled 'Help build the real Alternative'. The meeting is
open to everyone that's looking for a real and credible alternative to
the policies of this Government which are having a detrimental impact
on people and communities across Wicklow"

"I would encourage everyone who has an interest in listening to the
alternative to cuts and austerity to come along on Thursday or you
want to get involved in making a real difference in your community.
The meeting is due to commence at 8pm"

Public meeting to Defend Rural Wicklow

Wicklow Sinn Féin as part of their Defend Rural Wicklow Campaign has
organised a public meeting which will be held in Germaine's Hotel,
Baltinglass on Wednesday 14th November at 8pm.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady said
"Rural Wicklow has been hit hard with by the austerity policies of
Fine Gael and the Labour Party. Rural schools and police stations are
closing. New septic tank charges are being imposed and unemployment
and emigration is decimating the very fabric of rural life. As part of
our Defend Rural Wicklow Campaign we have organised a public meeting
which will be held on Wednesday 14th November at 8pm in Germaine's
Hotel, Baltinglass"

Cllr Brady continued "Under the austerity policies the courthouse in
Baltinglass is under scrutiny and is at risk of been redeployed
elsewhere. Sinn Fein is the only party standing up and fighting back
for rural Ireland and rural Wicklow".

"I urge people and community groups to come along on Wednesday to
listen to the solutions and what can be done to reverse the direction
this Government is taking us" concluded Cllr Brady.

Wicklow Sinn Féin Launch comprehensive Jobs Plan

Wicklow Sinn Féin has launched its jobs plan which demonstrates that,
with political will, the government can deliver 156,000 additional
jobs.

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady was joined by party
colleagues, Cllr Rossa Murray, Cllr Gary O'Reilly, Oliver O'Brien and
James Charlton for the launch in Ernie's public house in Wicklow Town
Cllr Brady said that the plan has been fully costed and provides a
socially responsible way to reduce the deficit and create and retain
jobs.

“In the last four years Ireland has shed more jobs than any other
western state per capita since the Great Depression”.

“Sinn Féin has identified €13billion which can be used to create jobs,
increase productivity and improve competiveness. This money would be
sourced from the European Investment Bank, incentivised investment
from the private pension sector and the National Pension Reserve Fund.

“Investment on this scale would retain 15,000 jobs and create about
156,000 jobs.

“Our jobs plan will invest in essential infrastructure; help
entrepreneurs by removing obstacles to doing business and supporting
them to retain and create new jobs; exploit the potential of existing
and new state enterprises particularly in broadband roll-out,
renewable energy and eco-tourism and invest in agri-food and rural
communities. In Wicklow we would create jobs by proceeding with the
N11 dual carriageway between Rathnew and Arklow, we would put in place
a Social Housing Development Programme. We would also invest in new
schools and primary care centers.

“Wicklow would also benefit from a new emphasis on agri-food and
seafood sectors as well as sustainable tourism.

Cllr Brady concluded “As an opposition party we will be pushing the
government to adopt these proposals to reverse the spiraling
unemployment and emigration that has plagued this county for years.”

The plan can be viewed at http://www.sinnfein.ie/files/2012/SF-Jobs-Doc-web.pdf

Residents demand Bray Town Council end the Cover-up relating to the Oldcourt Estate in Bray

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has called on Bray Town Council to end
their cover-up regarding the structural defects in the Oldcourt estate
in Bray and to ensure that the issues highlighted in the 2007 Fire
Safety Audit, which was carried out independently for the council are
addressed in the current refurbishment scheme in the estate. The
Councillor was speaking after 120 residents from the Oldcourt estate
staged a protest outside the Bray Town Council monthly meeting on
Tuesday evening.

Speaking after joining the Oldcourt residents protest Cllr Brady
stated "Its unfortunate that residents must organise protests outside
council meetings to try ensure their homes are made safe once and for
all and that the council listens to them. On Tuesday over 120
residents from the Oldcourt estate in Bray had to take their concerns
to the councils monthly meeting. The newly formed Oldcourt Residents
Action Group held the protest to make the council sit up and ensure
the homes in the Oldcourt estate are made safe once and for all"

The Sinn Féin councillor stated "Bray Town Council must end the
cover-up in relation to the Oldcourt estate and take responsibility
for the problems within the houses. The Oldcourt estate was built in
the 1970's as a temporary solution to the then housing crisis. However
the serious problem in the houses started after a botched
refurbishment scheme in the estate in the late 1980's. The old flat
roof structure was simply built around and the original flat roof was
left in the attic space of the refurbished houses. Since the
refurbishment their have been 15 serious house fires in the estate
which have resulted in the loss of 8 lives"

Cllr Brady continued "During the summer this year an announcement was
made that €1million in funding was being allocated towards a
refurbishment scheme for the Oldcourt estate. I originally welcomed
this as i was under the impression that the problems that had been
identified in 2007 by a team of independent fire safety experts
working on behalf of the council were going to be addressed. In that
audit the experts identified serious problems with the electrics, the
lack of fire breaks and the presence of the highly flammable bitumen
felt in the cavities and on the original flat roofs which was retained
in the attic space. The report stated that the bitumen would result in
an increased fire loading in the event of a fire which would increase
the heat and smoke production allowing the fire spread through wall
cavities. They recommended all the houses be rewired and the bitumen
contained in the walls and in the attics be removed. The issues in
Oldcourt really leave Priory Hall in Dublin in the shade, however the
powers to be acted to ensure the residents safety came first in
Dublin, that is something that is seriously lacking in the Oldcourt
situation"

Cllr Brady went on to say "Unfortunately now that the work has started
the council have dressed the works up as a 'Energy efficiency scheme'
It has been very difficult to get any information as to exactly what
works where to be carried out on the houses, the residents have been
completely kept in the dark. The residents recently formed the
Oldcourt Residents Action Group to try get answers about the extent of
the works and to ensure that all the houses in Oldcourt, both council
owned and private are included in the scheme"

"Around 120 locals turned up to the council meeting on Tuesday after i
had managed to ensure the Oldcourt issue was on the agenda. They
staged a protest firstly outside the meeting before filing into the
chamber to voice their concerns to the council.The confidence of the
residents and myself of the scheme was shattered however when the town
engineer confirmed that the main problem in the houses which is the
old flat roof will not be addressed in the scheme, he stated that it
will not be removed nor will the highly flammable bitumen that's on
it. Some of the work has to be welcomed but it does not go far enough
to solving all the problems and instilling confidence in the minds of
the residents" continued Brady

Cllr Brady concluded "The council must end the cover-up of the
problems in Oldcourt. Bray Town Council is responsible for the botched
refurbishment job on the houses that's resulted in so many lives being
lost in the estate. They must now hold their hands up and take
responsibility and ensure that all the houses are brought up to the
highest safety standard and this includes the privately owned houses
which were bought from the council in good faith, but unfortunately
for the owners the council failed to come clean about the serious
problems that existed within them. I call on all elected
representatives to start listening to the concerns of the residents
that they claim to represent and to be a little bit more respective of
them and that includes turning off sky sports on their laptops in
council meetings when residents are trying to put across their
concerns" Ends

Work to Secure the walls of Carnew Castle finally begins

Sinn Féin county councillor John Brady has welcomed the work that has
commenced to preserve the perimeter walls of Carnew castle. The castle
dates back to the 16th century and has in recent years fallen into a
poor condition with sections of the perimeter wall collapsing onto the
Main St in Carnew posing a serious threat to the safety of the public.
Since Cllr Brady first raised the issue last year a grant has been
secured from the Heritage Council and the work has recently started.

Cllr Brady welcomed the work and said “I first raised this issue of
Carnew castle over a year ago, the castle which is located on the Main
St. in Carnew is a listed building and it is on the listed monuments
register. Unfortunately over the last number of years it has fallen
into poor condition. The main castle needs extensive work and the
perimeter wall was collapsing onto the Main St. An application to the
Heritage Council under their grant scheme was successful and
thankfully the work has recently commenced”.

Cllr Brady continued "Carnew castle dates back to the 16th century, it
was built by the O'Tooles of Leinster and has a lengthy history.
During the Rebellion of 1641 about 160 settlers were besieged in the
castle for 22 weeks, by a force of around 1,000 Irish Rebels led by
the Mastersons, Byrnes and Donal Kavanagh of Ballingate. The castle
was held by the Knockloe O’Byrnes until 1649, when it was taken by Sir
Richard Talbot. Two years later the castle took a pounding from
Cromwell’s Roundheads under the command of Colonel Hewson during the
course of which the roof was destroyed. It fell into disuse in the
early 18th century. In the mid 18th century a large number of English
Protestants settled in Carnew and the area became a Royalist
stronghold throughout the 19th century. During the 1798 Rebellion,
Carnew Castle was used as a British garrison and 38 United Irishmen
prisoners were taken from the castle on the morning of 25th May 1798
and executed by firing squad in the nearby handball alley as a warning
to the local population."

Cllr Brady went onto say "The castle has a huge historical
significance both locally and nationally and the restoration work is
to be welcomed. Sections of the castle wall which had fallen onto the
footpath in 2009 and had remained there resulting in it being cordoned
off. Large sections of the wall were very unstable and were also at
risk of collapsing. This work when complete will ensure that it’s
preserved for future generations and the footpath will again be
reopened to the public”.

Cllr Brady concluded "In the future I would like to see the castle
opened to the public as I believe it has the potential to be a big
tourist attraction in the south Wicklow area.  The funding this year
from the Heritage Council is welcome; however more substantial funding

will be needed to ensure the castle reaches its full potential”. Ends

Brady Welcomes new Pedestrian Crossings on the Boghall Road

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has welcomed the installation of the
new pedestrian lights at the junction of the Deerpark Estate and at
Wolfe Tone on the Boghall Road in Bray and has said they will be
activated in the coming weeks.

Cllr Brady said "I am delighted that the pedestrian lights that i have
campaigned for on the Boghall Rd are finally in place. Once these are
activated in the coming weeks they will make the area much safer for
everyone. I have been pursuing this issue for a number of years now
and the lights are long overdue, there have been a number of children
knocked down by cars at the entrance to Wolfe Tone and at the junction
of the Deerpark Estate. This is a highly residential area and a lot of
people cross the road at these locations to get to the local shop and
to the schools".

Brady continued "There have been some concerns that the parking at the
front of the Boghall Stores shop would have to be removed to
facilitate the new crossing. However after discussions with the roads
technician in Bray Town Council a plan has been drawn up to enable the
parking to remain and the badly needed crossing to be installed. The
parking at this location is critical for the local business and the
removal of it would have been detrimental to the local store. I do
think there maybe be a bit of an overkill installing a crossing at the
new Aldi store as this will mean there will be 3 crossings within the
space of 250 meters, people could of easily used the existing crossing
at the Greystones Rd junction or the new one at Wolfe Tone without an
extra one in the middle".

Cllr Brady concluded "Overall i delighted this work has gone ahead,
but i do have some concerns that have been brought to the attention of
the council. I have asked them to look at the lights at Wole Tone
again as i believe they are too close to the junction and may actually
lead to an accident, i have been assured that all my concerns will be
taken on board and changes will be made if necessary".

Wicklow Sinn Féin to launch Extensive Job Creation Plan

Wicklow Sinn Féin to launch Extensive Job Creation

Wicklow Sinn Féin are to launch the party’s new job creation policy
document, the plan proposes measures to create 156,000 jobs and it
will be launched at a public meeting upstairs in Ernies Bar in Wicklow
Town at 7.30pm on Thursday 8th November.

Entitled Jobs Plan – Enterprise Policy for the 21st Century, the
document is a detailed 60 page stimulus package that sets out a
comprehensive plan aimed at tackling the current unemployment crisis.

Speaking ahead of the launch Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John
Brady said “In the last four years Ireland has shed more jobs than any
other western state per capita since the Great Depression. Last year
the economy lost 33,400 jobs. In 2011 our communities lost 87,000 to
emigration. It is clear that government policy is not working. The
government has paid lip service to job creation. Their ambitions for
this state are limited to Troika-led retrenchment. Private investment
has reduced by €30 billion. Government has withdrawn €24 billion. In
Wicklow there are 12,164 people currently unemployed and all the
relevant bodies such as the IDA have completely overlooked Wicklow”

“We have identified €13 billion which can be sourced to create jobs,
improve competitiveness and increase productivity. This would be
funded from the National Pension Reserve Fund, European Investment
Bank, incentivised investment from the private pension sector and we
would end the capital spending cuts of this government. An investment
of this scale would create about 156,000 jobs and retain up to 15,000
existing jobs. Smart investment will secure sustainable jobs and our
national competitiveness into the future”.

Brady continued “Our jobs plan will invest in essential
infrastructure; help entrepreneurs by removing obstacles to doing
business and supporting them to retain and create new jobs; exploit
the potential of existing and new state enterprises particularly in
broadband rollout, renewable energy and eco-tourism and invest in
agri-food and rural communities”.

Brady went onto say “The Sinn Féin plan if implemented would create
thousands of jobs here in Wicklow and this would go a long way to
replacing some of the jobs that have been lost in companies such as
Veha, Kerry Foods, A O’Smith, Allergan and Schering-Plough to just
name a few”.

Cllr Brady concluded "The Jobs Plan is a comprehensive, costed and
government ready proposal and I appeal to members of the public and
representatives from the community and business sectors to attend our
launch and hear the proposals set out by Sinn Féin here in Wicklow”.