Carrick-on-Suir

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.

Rock on The Suir in Carrick

This June Bank Holiday 2011 – Carrick on Suir will be rocking to the sounds of Mundy and Paddy Casey as part of the Clancy Brothers festival.
The gig is on Saturday June 4th – the Bank holiday weekend.

You can check prices and  book tickets online here at The Ticket Group

Rock on the Suir will take place at The Wicklow Gardens, North Quay in Carrick-on-Suir on Saturday, June 4 from 4pm. The Concert headline acts include Mundy and Paddy Casey and are supported by, El Hombre Jokes, Chimpanbee and Amber Jean

Towns with Cryptosporidium danger in drinking water .

Galway residents had to suffer months of having to buy bottled water because of Cryptosporidium in their water supply for a large part of 2007. Several people became ill because of the poor water quality and tourism was badly affected. The bad news is that it could get worse for many other Irish towns.The following towns are some of the larger ones in Ireland where drinking water supplies have been identified by the Environmental Protection agency as needing improvements because thay have inadequate treatment for Cryptosporidium. (Over 184 thousand people are supplied by these sub standard water schemes).

Letterkenny
Clonmel
Kells
Oldcastle
Tipperary
Carrick-on-Suir
Castletownbere
Moate
Kenmare
Ballinalee
Edgeworthstown
Rathdrum
Graigue
Castlegregory
Rosmuc
Cleggan
Claddaghduff
Cong
Sneem

Best Secondary Schools in Ireland.

Each year the Irish Times puts together some figures of each secondary school’s Leaving Cert students and combines them with figures from Third Level institutions in Ireland . . The Universities and Colleges record which school the first year students were enrolled at in the previous year. The two sets of figures combined give us some idea of the percentages of Leaving Cert students from each school that are entering Third Level education in Ireland. A league table is produced of all the secondary schools in Ireland . Of course – these figures are not a full indication of a schools’ performance – but it is all we have. The figures don’t include students who go on to Universities outside the Republic of Ireland. But in the absence of any Irish Government school performance figures – it is all we have to help pick out schools that might be better or worse than others at preparing students for qualifying for entry to University or other 3rd level education.

See here for the Best Schools Ireland 2011 according to the Sunday Times

The 2007 figures showed a few schools with 100% of Leaving Cert pupils going on to third level in Ireland.

Coláiste Iosagain, Stillorgan, Co Dublin
Yeats College, Galway
Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Salthill, Galway
St Joseph’s, Nun’s Island, Galway
Tralee Community College, Co Kerry
St Francis Capuchin College, Rochestown, Cork
Scoil Na Mbraithre, Charleville, Co Cork
Coláiste Eoin, Stillorgan, Co Dublin
Colaiste Na Coiribe, Tuam Rd, Galway
Institute of Education, Dublin 2
CBS, Mitchelstown, Co Cork
Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, Co Galway
Scoil Mhuire, Sydney Place, Cork
Colaiste Mhuire, Ballygar, Co Galway
St Ita’s, Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick
Coláiste Iascaigh, Easkey, Co Sligo

Galway and Cork schools seemed to do well in this schools league table .

Other top schools with over 90% entry to Irish 3rd level institutions

Blackrock College, Co Dublin
Scoil Mhuire, Carrick On Suir, Co Tipperary
Mount Mercy College, Cork
Loreto High School, Beaufort, Dublin 14
St Joseph of Cluny, Killiney, Co Dublin
Loreto, Foxrock, Dublin 18
Gaelcholaiste Cheatharlach, Easca, Carlow
Hamilton High School, Bandon, Co Cork
Gonzaga College, Dublin 6
CBC, Monkstown, Co Dublin
Scoil Damhnait, Achill, Co Mayo
Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, Limerick
Mount Anville School, Dublin 14
Colaiste An Phiarsaigh, Glanmire, Cork
St Vincent’s, Dundalk, Co Louth
Loreto College, St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2
Tarbert Comprehensive, Co Kerry
Presentation College, Mardyke, Cork
Terenure College, Dublin 6w
Glenstal Abbey, Co Limerick
The Teresian School, Dublin 4
Summerhill College, Sligo
L. S. U., Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, Co Westmeath
Mean Scoil Na Toirbhirte, An Daingean, Co Kerry
St Mary’s College, Rathmines, Dublin 6
Mount St Michael, Claremorris, Co Mayo
Clochar Loreto, Letterkeny, Co Donegal
CBS, Roscommon
Muckross Park College, Dublin 4
Community School, Dunmore, Tuam, Co Galway
Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co Cork
St Andrew’s College, Blackrock, Co Dublin
Colaiste Iognaid, Galway
Presentation Secondary, Listowel, Co Kerry
St Gerard’s, Bray, Co Wicklow
Ursuline College, Finisklin, Sligo
Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore, Co Offaly
Gaelcholaiste Chiarrai, Tralee, Co Kerry
Ardscoil Mhuire, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
Cistercian College, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Sandford Park School, Dublin 6
St. Louis Community School, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo
Ard Scoil Phobal Bheanntrai, Bantry, Co Cork
Coláiste Daibhéid, An T-Ardán Theas, Corcaigh

2011 Top Schools in Ireland

Carrick on Suir – another bad Tipperary Town?

Carrick-on-Suir was the fourth worst town in our chart of the worst place to live in Ireland .
Based on census 2006 information we have compiled a top 20 list of the best and worst places to live in  Ireland. Of course people will disagree with these positions – but they are based on facts and figures like unemployment, housing, lone parents and education.At the 2006 census  – the population of Carrick-on-Suir was 5906 .The unemployment rate was 9.59% -  this compares badly with a National Average of 5.92% and was the 6th highest rate of unemployment in Ireland
In Carrick-on-Suir – 6.66% of the workforce were unable to work because of disability or ill health – which is  over the national average of 4.71% .
Of those people in work – the largest proportion are employed in manufacturing (20% of the workforce) .
Lone parent households in Carrick-on-Suir- make up 26.86% of all households. This is the 5th highest in Ireland and about 25% above the National average of 19.29%

Local Authority rented homes make up 15.57% of the dwelling units in Carrick-on-Suir – the ninth highest percentage in Ireland.
Rented homes make up 34.45% of all homes in Carrick-on-Suir – slightly above the average for Ireland of 28.1%.
28% of occupied houses in Carrick-on-Suir are owned outright – with no mortgage outstanding – the same as the average for Ireland as a whole.

Heating: 10.93% of all dwellings in Carrick-on-Suir have no central heating – which is aroud the same as the rest of the country (10.22%).
I.T. : 40.98% of households own personal computers in Carrick-on-Suir – compared to 53.3% nationally. Only 13.6% had broadband at the last census – much lower than the Irish average at the time of 20.18% . Also – 67.4% of homes had no internet access at all in Carrick-on-Suir – compared to the average of 51%

Education : 22.43% of the people living in Carrick-on-Suir – only went as far as primary school or had no formal education at all. This is very close to 40% above the national average of 16.72%.
People with a third level degree or a higher qualification – make up just 6.76% of the Carrick-on-Suir workforce – which is less than half the national average of 16.57%

Town with Most Catholics is Ballina

Census 2006 figures released last week – show that Ballina in  Mayo  has 92.9% of it’s population that stated their religion was Roman Catholic. Of all the towns with more than 5000 population – Ballina was the town with the  highest percentage of Catholics.
The total percentage of Catholics in Ireland as a whole is 86.83%

Top Ten  towns for percentages of Catholic residents:
Ballina  92.9%
Carrick-on-Suir  92.82%
Buncrana  92.54%
Thurles 92.37%
Clonmel  91.99%
Tipperary  91.47%
Dunboyne  91.41%
Newcastle West 91.33%
Mallow  91.24%
New Ross 90.96%

Clara has lowest percentage of Graduates

The town of Clara – according to analysis of Census 2006 figures – has just 6.54% of it’s residents with a third level degree or higher. (Those that have completed education)
This compares to Oranmore at the other end of the scale where 38% of the people are graduates .
The following Irish towns are also not very popular with people educated to degree level :
Carrick-on-Suir  6.76%
Rathnew 7.68%
Tullow  8.14%
Castlecomer-Donaguile 8.26%
Mountmellick  8.44%
Clones  8.55%
Bunclody-Carrickduff  8.7%
Tipperary  8.77%
Muinebeag  8.79%

Longford tops Unemployment Blackspots

The town of Longford has the highest unemployment rate in Ireland – of all towns over 1500 population.
Census figures show that the percentage of unemployed people in Longford is 11.14% – compared to a national figure of 5.89%. Longford has  almost double the average rate of unemployment.
Top Ten Towns for Worst Unemployment
Rathnew
Abbeyfeale
New Ross
Ballina (Mayo)
Carrick-on-Suir
Enniscorthy
Athy
Castlecomer-Donaguile
Cootehill
All these towns have rates of unemployment above 8.68%

Lone Mothers in Carndonagh

Lone Mothers

Carndonagh in Donegal and  Tipperary and Cashel in Tipperary are the top 3 towns in Ireland for lone mothers. All these towns have just over 25% of household units headed by lone mothers. 
Longford, Dingle  Carrick on Suir , Enniscorthy and Castleblaney  are close behind – all with over 23% of lone mother households.
Ireland as a whole has 15.43% of lone mother households.

 The five towns with the lowest percentage of lone mothers are  Dunshaughlin (9.1%) , Ratoath (7.9%) , Annacotty (7.8%), Stamullen (6.6%)  and  Newcastle (6.3%) 

Figures from 2006 Census

Towns dependent on Construction

Construction Workers in Ireland

The building and construction sector accounts for 8.69% of all the employment in Ireland – according to responses in the 2006 Census.

Some towns depend much more on construction for jobs than others – and could be harder hit if the slowdown in house building continues.

Gort – in Galway has a massive 23% of it’s workforce employed in building – almost one quarter of all jobs in the town.

These are the top ten towns (with populations over 1500) for construction-based work.

Gort  23.27%

Kanturk   18.64%

Ballaghaderreen 17.95 %

Carndonagh  17.59%

Dunmanway 16.66 %

Killorglin   16.46%

Enniscorthy 15.4%

Carrick-on-Suir  15%

Duleek  14.95%

Athboy 14.8%

The town with the least people occupied in the building industry is  Annacotty – with just 3.16% of the workforce employed in the sector.

The towns of Malahide , Donabate , Portmarnock,  Kinsealy-Drinan and Shannon all had less than 5% of their workforce in the building trade.

All figures calculated from the 2006 Census – taken in May 2006