Athenry

Galway County – Unfinished Estates with no Household Charge

Owners of properties in the following County Galway estates will avoid the €100 Household Charge for 2012 because they are classed as unfinished estates.  More details about the Household Charge .

Homes on two categories of estates will qualify for a Household Charge waiver in 2012 – these are :-
Category 3 -  where  a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but is effectively inactive;

Category 4 unfinished estates -  where  the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.

Note : – owners  of homes on these estates are supposed to  register for the  Household charge and claim the waiver for 2012.
Ard An Mhulinn Ballyvaughan Road Kinvara

Ard Na Speire Moycullen Road Spiddal

Bealach na Ceartan Ballyroe Williamstown

Bealach na Gaoithe Galway Road., Killaloontey Tuam

Bruach An Chaladh Dominic St. Portumna

Caoin Dara Crosheen Ballindereen

Carrig Gheal Galway Rd. Loughrea

Carrig Linn Danesfort Rd. Loughrea

Carrig Mor Danesfort Rd. Loughrea

Cearnog Nua Church Street Moycullen

Cedar Court off Glennamaddy Road Williamstown

Choill Clocha Oranhill Oranmore

Ciislean Riada Clarinbridge

Clochran Kilcloghans Tuam

Clos An Iarla Dominic St. Portumna

Clos An Iarnroid Ballinasloe Ballinasloe

Cois Furain Cosmona Rd. Loughrea

Coolhaven Galway Rd. Gort

Corr an Tochair Dunmore Road Williamstown

Cottage Hill Athenry Rd Loughrea

Cricket Court Dunmore Road Tuam

Cuirt Na hAbhann Oranmore Road Claregalway

Danesfort Court Danesfort Rd. Loughrea

Dun Na Ri Corofin Road Gort

Eallagh Galway Road Headford

Forest Gate/Glade St Josephs Rd. Portumna

Garrai An Droichid Killora Craughwell

Garrai Eoinin Bothar Bui, Knock South Inveran

Gleann Mhuiris Oranmore Road Claregalway

Glynndale Court Corrolough Williamstown

Kilcummin Fields Estate Main Street Oughterard

Leas Na Greige Rossaveel Road Oughterard

Lios Na Si Bridge St Portumna

Lios Garbh Ballinasloe

Lios Na Ndaoner Danesfort Rd. Loughrea

Lorro Gate Prospect Athenry

Lough Eala St Brigids Rd. Portumna

Oran Island Maree Road Oranmore

Pairc na gCon Newbridge Road Mountbellew

Pairc Na Ri Park Rd Ballydavid South Athenry

Plan Ref 011325 Westport Road Clifden

Plan Ref 041866 (Craughwell Town Centre) Main Street Craughwell

Plan Ref 05/2498 (Craugh Tn Centre) Main St. Craughwell

Plan Ref 071155 Mountain Road Moycullen

Plan Ref 091446 Galway Road Moycullen

Rath Glas Kilgarve Ballinasloe

Redington Woods Clarinbridge Clarinbridge

The Fairways/An Mhinleog Tuam Road Dunmore

The Orchard Main Street Moylough

The Willows Raheen Rd. Athenry

Tir an Choir Vicars Choral Tuam

Uilin Church Street Moycullen

Woodview Crescent Moylough Road Clonbern

Paying Household Charge at Council Offices

According to the Household Charge website – people who don’t want to register or pay online should be able to get registration forms and make payments at their local County Council or City Council offices.

See more here about the new Household Charge which is payable by all home owners from Jan 2012.

We did a quick survey of most of the County Council and City Council websites on January 6th to see if they were providing any  information about the Household Charge.

We checked the council websites for  Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork,  Donegal, South County  Dublin, Dublin City , Fingal , County Galway, Galway City Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary,  Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow.
Some sites had no information about the Household Charge at all – Carlow , North Tipp, Offaly and Monaghan did not mention it -or if they did it was well hidden!

The majority of the Council websites had just a  link direct to the Household Charge website but no other info or mention of payment or forms being available.

Two  Councils  had a small bit of information about the charge and a link to the Householdcharge website . (Limerick County and Killarney).
Only three sites also had links to downloadable forms – Westmeath, Wicklow and Longford.

The only council that provided any useful information and confirmed that they were issuing forms and accepting payments was Fingal County Council.
Their website informs users that Household charge registration forms are available at all  Fingal County Council cash offices and reception desks in Swords & Blanchardstown, at all Fingal Libraries and at Citizens Information Centres. They also state that Registration forms can be returned  and payments can be made through Fingal County Council cash offices at Grove Rd, Blanchardstown or County Hall, Swords from 9.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday. Completed forms will be forwarded by the Council to the Household Charge payment office. They even have  staff in a  Household Charge Team available on  01 890 6254

Well done Fingal County Council – !

Update Jan 9th - Dublin City Council now have information about accepting payments  – they state on their site that anyone who wants to pay Household Charge to Dublin City Council should go to :  Customer Services Centre ,Ground Floor Block 3 Civic Offices.

Cavan have added some information that Household Charge Payments will be accepted at the Rates office, Courthouse, Cavan.

Galway County Council now say that forms can be collected  from  Galway County Council, Aras an Chontae, Prospect Hill, Galway.  Payments of Household Charge can be made bBy calling to your Local Authority office (By credit card/laser/cheque/bankdraft / or Cash)

Wexford County Council have confirmed that cash will be accepted in any of the following Wexford Local Authority Offices and together with your completed registration form will be forwarded to the Central Processing Unit in Dublin.

- Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford.

- Wexford Borough Council, Spawell Road, Wexford.

- New Ross Town Council, The Tholsel, New Ross

- Enniscorthy Town Council, Market Square, Enniscorthy.

- Gorey District Office, Civic Square, Gorey.

Historic Walled Towns of Ireland

The history of Ireland can  be best seen  in its Walled Towns.
There are some of the  walled towns and villages throughout Ireland that are worth a visit.

Ardee, Athenry, Athlone, Bandon,  Cashel, Clonmel, Cork,
Drogheda, Dublin, Fethard, Galway, Kilkenny,
Limerick, New Ross,  Trim, Waterford, Wexford and Youghal.

The Viking raiders of the ninth century and the Anglo-Norman invaders of the twelfth built defensive strongholds that over the centuries came to enrich the fabric of Irish life.

These Irish Walled Towns are unique inheritances from times long past and should be treasured,

Athenry

Athenry is a town about 23km east of Galway city. The population at the 2006 census was 3205  – with 805 family units , In 2006 the unemployment rate was just 5% and 64% of the population were single. About 17% of the Athenry population were born outside Ireland at the time of the 2006 census.

In the 13th Centuty A man callled  Meiler de Bermingham built a castle at Athenry – by the ford on the River Clareen, and founded the mediaeval town of Athenry.

The castle, surrounded by its own curtain wall and towers, had three phases of construction between the 13th and 15th centuries. It later fell into ruin, but has recently been re-roofed and has a  mediaeval-type festival each year . There is also an Arts & Heritage Centre in Athenry .

The name town of Athenry is known all over the world because of the song ” The Fields of Athenry”  – see the words here  – Fields of Athenry Words

County Galway Speed Camera Vans

These are the roads where the mobile speed or safety cameras will be operating from November 2010 in County Galway.

The 45 vans will be covering the whole country – at 600 locations. So dont expect to see a van on the same road every day. You will never know when there could be one round the next bend – so slow down, be safe and save lives.

The full network of speed cameras will not be up and running until Feb 2011 – but they are being rolled out from Nov 2010

Top Secondary Schools in Connacht 2008

According to the Sunday Times league table of the top secondary schools in Ireland 2008 – these are the top 20 schools in Connacht. The positions are based on entry to third level institutions only – so may not be a very accurate assessment of a school. (Pupils may have taken Grinds elsewhere). In the absence of any government assessment  of school performance in Ireland – it is all we have to go on and is better than nothing at all.  There are no published figures or exam results for schools in Ireland – mainly because teachers are against it. Maybe if we saw exam results some  teachers might not stay in their jobs .
(M=Mixed, B=Boys, G= Girls)
The figure shown next to each school is thepercentage of Leaving Cert pupils entering third level in Ireland.

1 Scoil Damhnait, Achill, Co Mayo M 7 84.6
2 Seamount College, Kinvara, Co Galway G 76.2
3 * Marian College, Mohill, Co Leitrim M 75.0
4 Mount St Michael, Claremorris, Co Mayo G 74.5
5 Jesus & Mary Secondary School,Salthill, Galway G 70.4
6 Colaiste Iognaid SJ, Sea Rd, Galway M 70.0
7 Ursuline College, Sligo G 69.6
8 Colaiste na Coiribe, Tuam Road, Galway M 67.7
9 Presentation College, Athenry, Co Galway M 63.8
10 Scoil Muire gan Smal, Roscommon G 61.7
11 Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, Co Galway M 60.5
12 Dominican College, Taylor’s Hill, Galway G 60.3
13 Scoil Mhuire, Ballinasloe, Co Galway G 60.0
14 St Mary’s Secondary School, Ballina, Co Mayo G 58.7
15 St Joseph’s College, Nun’s Island, Galway B 58.3
16 St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, Co Mayo B 57.5
17 Colaiste Cholmain, Claremorris, Co Mayo B 54.9
18 Colaiste Cholmcille, Inverin, Co Galway M 53.1
19 Sligo Grammar School, The Mall, Sligo M 52.8
20 Presentation College, Tuam, Co Galway G 52.7